The Obama administration unveiled new rules this week, listing a number of preventive services Americans in private plans will be able to receive with no out-of-pocket cost.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, under the new regulations, new health plans beginning on or after Sept. 23 must cover preventive services that have "strong scientific evidence of their health benefits," and these plans may no longer charge a patient a co-payment, co-insurance or deductible for these services when they are delivered by a network provider. Specifically, these recommendations include:

Evidence-based preventive services: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of scientific experts, rates preventive services based on the strength of the scientific evidence documenting their benefits. Preventive services with a "grade" of A or B, like breast and colon cancer screenings, screening for vitamin deficiencies during pregnancy, screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and tobacco cessation counseling will be covered under these rules.
Routine vaccines: Health plans will cover a set of standard vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ranging from routine childhood immunizations to periodic tetanus shots for adults.
Prevention for children: Health plans will cover preventive care for children recommended under the Bright Futures guidelines, developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration with the American Academy of Pediatrics. These guidelines provide pediatricians and other health care professionals with recommendations on the services they should provide to children from birth to age 21 to keep them healthy and improve their chances of becoming healthy adults. The types of services that will be covered include regular pediatrician visits, vision and hearing screening, developmental assessments, immunizations, and screening and counseling to address obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight.
Prevention for women: Health plans will cover preventive care provided to women under both the Task Force recommendations and new guidelines being developed by an independent group of experts, including doctors, nurses, and scientists, which are expected to be issued by Aug. 1 2011.

"Getting access to early care and screenings will go a long way in preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and high-blood pressure," said First Lady Michelle Obama in a statement. "And good preventative care will also help tackle an issue that is particularly important to me as First Lady and as a mother - and that is the epidemic of childhood obesity in America today. These are important tools, and now it's up to us to use them."

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Health plans must offer certain no-cost preventive services

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