Your health insurance might come with some “freebies” that you are not aware of. If you bought your policy after March 23, 2010, then your insurance company is required to cover 100% of the costs of preventative care. This means that you can have certain kinds of health care done right now, without having to come up with any extra money to pay for it.
Obviously, you must currently have a health insurance policy in order to take advantage of the preventative care “freebies”. In order to be certain that your health insurance comes with free preventative care, you must have bought the policy after March 23, 2010. Policies that were purchased before that time may, or may not, have to meet this requirement.
Keep in mind that the law only requires health insurance companies to pay for preventive care that is given by a clinician that is a part of their network. You cannot expect to have complete choice about where, or from whom, you get these types of medical care from, and still expect it to be free. If you stayed within the network, then the preventative care should be 100% covered by your insurance company.
What kinds of preventative care can you get for free? You can get your blood pressure checked. You can be tested for Type 2 Diabetes, and you can have your cholesterol checked. Other free screenings include: HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, osteoporosis, and obesity.
Women over age 40 can have a mammogram (to screen for breast cancer) every one or two years, for free. All sexually active women can have free annual pap smears to check for cervical cancer. All adults over age 50 can have free colonoscopies, to check for colon cancer.
Certain types of health education are free of cost to you. You can get health counseling to learn how to quit smoking, to learn how to cut down on how much alcohol you drink, or to learn how to improve your eating habits. If you need to be treated for depression, that too, is free, (if it comes from your primary care doctor, a specialist, or a program that your doctor referred you to). Weight loss counseling is also free.
Routine vaccines are free. These include hepatitis A and B, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, measles mumps and rubella (MMR), varicella (chickenpox), and more. You can also get a free flu shot every year. Many schools require that students of certain ages have specific immunizations before they are allowed to attend school. These shots can be expensive, but the cost will be covered by your health insurance company from now on.
Counseling and screening for healthy pregnancies is also free. This includes screenings for iron deficiency, hepatitis B, Rh incompatibility, and bacteriuria. Mothers can learn how to quit smoking (or drinking), and can be taught how to breast feed. Well-baby and well-child visits to doctors are free, too.
Image by Kristie Wells on Flickr