Health plan design just got easier, and more complicated, at the same time.
Plan managers already have a rather lengthy list of conditions and treatments they must cover by law as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This list of mostly preventive care items just grew by two, as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has added coverage for Hepatitis B and preeclampsia conditions.
As reported by Kaiser Health News, the task force added to the list of must-cover-at-no-co-pay hepatitis B screening (adults and adolescents) who may be at high risk for infection due to drug use or HIV; and low-dose aspirin therapy for women who may be at risk for preeclampsia.
KHN reported that the task force will require the hepatitis B treatment due to “new evidence that antiviral treatments improved outcomes in people at high risk for the liver infection, including those from countries where the infection is common, people who are HIV-positive and injection drug users.”
As for the preeclampsia condition, the task force is calling for fully covered screening for gestational preeclampsia “after 24 weeks in asymptomatic pregnant women.”
But, notes KHN, “that service is already being offered at no cost by health plans following an Institute Of Medicine study commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services that identified gaps in existing coverage guidelines.”
So the true list has only increased by one more. According to task force policy, these won't have to be covered until a year from now.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
