Doctors know the value of preventive health care for adults, but insurance companies’ required co-pays or deductibles have made it hard for some patients to take advantage. Fortunately, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is now requiring some private health insurance companies, along with Medicare and Medicaid, to fully cover the cost of certain preventive care services. These services are all provided by a Family Practice in Andover Kansas, and they include preventive care for all adults, preventive care for women only, and preventive care for children.
Preventive care for all adults can include screening for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar or diabetes, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Screenings make it possible to detect an illness or condition in the early stages while it is still easy to treat. Other forms of preventive care include diet counseling for patients at risk of chronic disease, alcohol and tobacco counseling and treatment, depression screening, obesity counseling, and immunizations that are appropriate for the patient’s age and risk factors.
Preventive care for women includes services for women who are or may become pregnant, such as contraception, folic acid supplements, screenings for gestational diabetes, Rh factor compatibility, and various sexually transmitted diseases, and breastfeeding counseling and supplies. Preventive care for all women includes screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer, domestic violence screening and counseling, and screening for osteoporosis.
Children are eligible to receive the widest range of preventive care at no cost to the parents. All recommended immunizations should be covered from birth to age eighteen. Currently, these include vaccines for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, flu, chicken pox, measles, HPV, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and polio. Screenings for infants and young children include autism, hearing, vision, phenylketonuria (PKU), and general development. Other services include oral health assessment with fluoride supplements as needed, screening for depression in adolescents, and screening and counseling for adolescents at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.
Getting preventive health care at any age can greatly reduce the risk of developing serious and costly problems later on. Contact Wichita Family Medicine Specialists LLC for more information about preventive care from a Family Practice in Andover Kansas.
