New Law Will Require Free Health Screenings

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New Law Will Require Free Health Screenings By TARA PARKER-POPE

One of the best perks in the new health care legislation is that insurance

companies will no longer require co-payments for preventive care like physicals,

mammograms and immunizations. The new rules are explained in Friday's Patient

Money column.

Under the new law, more generous " wellness " benefits should eventually be

available to almost all Americans with insurance. " Eventually " is the operable

word, though. Although this feature of the law goes into effect at the end of

September, it will apply to new insurance policies only. That means if you

switch to a different policy, or buy a new one, the preventive services will be

offered.

But if you are already in a plan, your benefits probably will not be

upgraded until the plan makes a significant change, like modifying its cost

structure. Simply signing up again during next fall's annual enrollment for the

same coverage you now have may not necessarily cause the new preventive-care

requirement to begin. Until the Department of Health and Human Services actually

writes the new regulations for this and many other parts of the law, though, no

one can say for certain what will count as an event that sets the preventive

care requirement in motion.

A clear exception is Medicare. Starting next year, all enrollees — even if

they do not change insurance plans — will be entitled to a free annual checkup

and free screenings, like colonoscopies and mammograms.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/new-law-will-trigger-free-health-screen\

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