HHS, Pharmacies To Promote Reform Law’s Benefits for Seniors

On Wednesday, HHS announced that it is partnering with five national pharmacy chains to promote the Affordable Care Act's benefits for elderly U.S. residents, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports.

HHS will work with CVS Caremark, Sam's Club, Thrifty White, Walgreens and Wal-Mart to give Medicare beneficiaries more details about preventive services available under the federal health reform law, HHS said (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 8/15).

Under the partnerships, the pharmacies will distribute in-store pamphlets containing information on no-cost preventive services, including:

• Mammograms;
• Colonoscopies; and
• Blood pressure and wellness checks.

The pharmacies also will provide Medicare beneficiaries with information on prescription drug discounts (Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 8/15).

Wal-Mart and Sam's Club will make the brochures available online, rather than in their stores ("Healthwatch," The Hill, 8/15).

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, "Too many seniors go without care and don't realize these services are available at no charge" (Florida Times-Union, 8/15). According to CMS, just 6.5% of eligible Medicare beneficiaries have taken advantage of the no-cost annual wellness visit made available by the ACA (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 8/15).