Working to Provide More Medicare Beneficiaries with Free Preventive Care
Statement
Dear Friend:
The Affordable Care Act is already improving the lives of American families, giving millions of Americans access to free preventive health services. New data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that nearly 20.5 million people with Medicare reviewed their health status at a free Annual Wellness Visit or received other preventive services with no deductible or cost sharing this year, including 1.54 million Medicare recipients living in California.
Some of the free preventive services available to people with Medicare include:
* Mammograms and cervical cancer screenings;
* Annual Wellness Visits;
* Cholesterol and other cardiovascular screenings; and
* Colorectal and prostate cancer screenings.
In order to take advantage of these great Medicare benefits, it is important to know that October 15th - December 7th marks the seven week annual enrollment period for people with Medicare to review Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug coverage plans to select the option that best meets your needs. This year's earlier open enrollment period ensures that Medicare has enough time to process plan choices so that coverage can begin without interruption on January 1st, 2012.
For assistance during the annual enrollment period, I encourage you to visit https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/ to access the Medicare Plan Finder. For more information on Medicare's prevention benefits, go to the Share the News. Share the Health! website: http://www.medicare.gov/share-the-health/or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
As our economy continues its slow recovery from the recent recession, please know that I oppose any cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. The burden of our deficit should not be carried on the backs of America's seniors. As we continue to responsibly implement health care reform, I will fight to protect and maintain these life-saving measures.
Sincerely,
JOE BACA, Congressman
43rd Congressional District
Source