HR3590 Health Care Bill & Government Health Insurance

In a previous post, we shared with you how Medicare is being expanded to include tobacco cessation programs, ensuring that beneficiaries are given the opportunity to undergo such programs when these can be more helpful and effective, which is before the onset of disease.

Preventive care is not just a Medicare provision, but a provision that includes everyone, regardless of age. After all, it is not just seniors who have smoking habits; come to think of it, there may be more yuppies that are into smoking when compared to seniors.

Health care reform recognizes that being able to prevent disease from occurring is just as important as  meeting the health care demands of patients. It is for this reason that cancer prevention tools, including such programs as annual mammograms for women over 40, regular pap smears, HPV vaccination, tobacco cessation counseling or medication, and screening tests for colon cancer for adults over 50.

New health plans are also mandated to offer coverage sans cost-sharing services, for services such as obesity screening, counseling from physicians or health professionals in order to promote sustained weight loss, blood pressure screening, counseling on the daily use of aspirin in order to reduce the risk of a stroke, and screening for high cholesterol and diabetes.

Children are also taken care of by healthcare reform, through the availability of new health plans for children without cost-sharing. Among these services are well-baby and well-child doctor’s visits every few months and screenings for such childhood problems as obesity and depression.