As most of us know, the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 has provided extensive coverage for routine and screening health care charges. But many people are not aware of some of the additional services covered under this Act. Some examples of covered services also include:
- Breastfeeding comprehensive support and counseling from trained providers, and access to breastfeeding supplies, for pregnant and nursing women
- Expanded tobacco intervention and counseling
- Depression screening for adolescents beginning routinely at age 12
- Developmental screening for children under age 3
- Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
It is important that we educate ourselves on what is covered under the Act. If a provider codes this type of visit incorrectly, some patients may end up paying a bill that they are actually not responsible for.
A full list of covered services can be found at: https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/preventive-care-benefits/