Prevention, Wellness Provisions of Health Care Reform Law Could Have Big Long-Term Impact

Health advocates say a shift toward emphasizing prevention and wellness could be a game-changer in our health care system.

Some estimates say roughly half the conditions we treat in our health care system are avoidable. Several prevention initiatives in the new health care reform law seek to change that.

In a California Healthline Special Report by Kelly Wilkinson, experts discuss how the health care reform law will boost preventive health care.

The Special Report includes comments from:

John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society;
Steve Wojcik, vice president of public policy for the National Business Group on Health; and
Daniel Zingale, vice president of Healthy California at the California Endowment.

The health reform law significantly expands preventive screenings for Medicare beneficiaries. Meanwhile, health insurers will have to fully cover recommended screenings, preventive care and vaccines. It also increases the reimbursement rate for doctors who offer preventive services to their patients (Wilkinson, California Healthline, 4/19).

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>Prevention, Wellness Provisions of Health Care Reform Law Could Have Big Long-Term Impact</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2010-04-19T00:00:00-07:00">
			April 19, 2010		</time>
		</div>
<p>Health advocates say a shift toward emphasizing prevention and wellness could be a game-changer in our health care system. </p><p>Some estimates say roughly half the conditions we treat in our health care system are avoidable. Several prevention initiatives in the new health care reform law seek to change that. </p><p>In a <i>California Healthline </i>Special Report by Kelly Wilkinson, experts discuss how the health care reform law will boost preventive health care.</p><p>The Special Report includes comments from:</p><ul><li>John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society; </li><li>Steve Wojcik, vice president of public policy for the National Business Group on Health; and </li><li>Daniel Zingale, vice president of Healthy California at the California Endowment.</li></ul><p>The health reform law significantly expands preventive screenings for Medicare beneficiaries. Meanwhile, health insurers will have to fully cover recommended screenings, preventive care and vaccines. It also increases the reimbursement rate for doctors who offer preventive services to their patients (Wilkinson, <i>California Healthline</i>, 4/19). </p><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p>

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