Medicare's New Preventative Services

Medicare's New Preventative Services
Rep. Boozman's Column for the Week of February 28, 2005

Washington, Feb 28 -
People with Medicare now have an opportunity to live healthier and longer thanks to significant changes in the program. Changes included in the Medicare prescription drug bill are pushing the program to focus more on prevention than just disease management. Now, Medicare is looking to reduce the hundreds of thousands of annual deaths that occur from diseases that may be preventable - such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke cause the most deaths of people with Medicare. Yet, each disease can be prevented or treated more effectively when found sooner. For this reason, Medicare is changing with the times to focus more efforts on preventative services.

Key features of the new preventative benefits include the "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam for people new to the program, as well as free cardiovascular and diabetes screenings. These new benefits have been added to an array of preventative services including: coverage for vaccinations, bone mass measurement, glaucoma screenings, medical nutrition therapy and screening for cancers of the colon, breast, cervix and prostate.

For people who start Medicare Part B on or after January 1, 2005, coverage will include a one-time preventative physical exam within the first six months that they have Medicare Part B. The exam will include a thorough review of the new enrollee's health. The "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam is a great way for new enrollees to get up-to-date on important screenings and shots, and to talk with doctors about their family history and how to stay healthy.

New and continuing screenings include a cardiovascular check looks at cholesterol and other blood fat levels to see if there is a risk of heart disease or stroke; diabetes screenings to check insulin levels; and cancer screenings for early detection of a number of cancers before treatment options are too limited.

Medicare also covers flu, pneumonia and Hepatitis B shots, bone mass measurements and glaucoma tests. All of these important screenings and services can help people with Medicare live healthy lifestyles and stop potential problems before they start.
Living a healthy lifestyle has long been recognized as the best way to stop health problems before they start. Today, a healthy lifestyle means doing things such as eating right, maintaining a healthy weight, staying active and not smoking. It also includes the use of preventative services that can find potential health problems early, when treatment works best.

As the value of preventative services has become clear, Medicare services have been improved to provide coverage for these important screenings. Medicare is working hard to close the "prevention gap," which is the difference between the number of people who could take advantage of preventative services and those who actually do. Medicare now includes coverage for many important preventative services to keep people healthy. In doing so, Medicare is making strides toward closing the "prevention gap," which will hopefully save thousands of lives in the long run.

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