Health care reform requires group health plans and health insurers to provide coverage for preventive health care services without any cost sharing requirements. There are three sets of preventive services that must be covered free of charge: services for all adults, services for women, and services for children. Preventive services are routine health care services including screenings, check-ups and patient counseling to prevent illness, disease or other health problems.
The exact list of what is considered preventive health care is reviewed and updated annually. The updates are based on recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other government organizations. For the 2019 calendar year, the following new recommendations must be covered under group health plans as a preventive service:
- Preeclampsia screening through blood pressure tests
- Obesity screenings for children and adolescents 6 years and older
- Vision screening in children ages 3 to 5 to detect amblyopia or its risk factors
- Influenza vaccine for adolescents
- Hepatitis B vaccine for adolescents
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for adolescents
For a full list of preventive services, visit healthcare.gov by clicking here.
