The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) rules must be implemented by September 23rd, 2010 by all health insurance carriers.

One of the provisions of this act is that preventative services (wellness) treatment must be covered by insurers with no deductible or co-pays, and with no maximums allowed.

These guidelines are set forth by the US Preventative Task Force (USPSTF)

Most insurers will have to cover recommendations A and B by the Task Force.

Many of the A and B recommendations are:

-The USPSTF recommends that women whose family history is associated with an increased risk for deleterious mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes be referred for genetic counseling and evaluation for BRCA testing.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years.
Grade: B recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends that clinicians discuss chemoprevention with women at high risk for breast cancer and at low risk for adverse effects of chemoprevention. Clinicians should inform patients of the potential benefits and harms of chemoprevention.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF strongly recommends screening for cervical cancer in women who have been sexually active and have a cervix.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) using fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy, in adults, beginning at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years. The risks and benefits of these screening methods vary.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF strongly recommends that clinicians screen all adults for tobacco use and provide tobacco cessation interventions for those who use tobacco products.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF strongly recommends that clinicians screen all pregnant women for tobacco use and provide augmented pregnancy-tailored counseling to those who smoke.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by ultrasonography in men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends the use of aspirin for men age 45 to 79 years when the potential benefit due to a reduction in myocardial infarctions outweighs the potential harm due to an increase in gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Grade: A recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends the use of aspirin for women age 55 to 79 years when the potential benefit of a reduction in ischemic strokes outweighs the potential harm of an increase in gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Grade: A recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for high blood pressure in adults aged 18 and older.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends screening men aged 35 and older for lipid disorders.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening men aged 20 to 35 for lipid disorders if they are at increased risk for coronary heart disease.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF strongly recommends screening women aged 45 and older for lipid disorders if they are at increased risk for coronary heart disease.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening women aged 20 to 45 for lipid disorders if they are at increased risk for coronary heart disease.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria with urine culture for pregnant women at 12 to 16 weeks' gestation or at the first prenatal visit, if later.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for chlamydial infection for all sexually active non-pregnant young women aged 24 and younger and for older non-pregnant women who are at increased risk.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for chlamydial infection for all pregnant women aged 24 and younger and for older pregnant women who are at increased risk.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that clinicians screen all sexually active women, including those who are pregnant, for gonorrhea infection if they are at increased risk for infection (that is, if they are young or have other individual or population risk factors; go to Clinical Considerations for further discussion of risk factors).
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women at their first prenatal visit.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women at their first prenatal visit.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends that clinicians screen for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) all adolescents and adults at increased risk for HIV infection (go to Clinical Considerations for discussion of risk factors).
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends high-intensity behavioral counseling to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for all sexually active adolescents and for adults at increased risk for STIs.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) strongly recommends that clinicians screen persons at increased risk for syphilis infection.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF strongly recommends that clinicians screen all pregnant women for syphilis infection.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for type 2 diabetes in asymptomatic adults with sustained blood pressure (either treated or untreated) greater than 135/80 mm Hg.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends intensive behavioral dietary counseling for adult patients with hyperlipidemia and other known risk factors for cardiovascular and diet-related chronic disease. Intensive counseling can be delivered by primary care clinicians or by referral to other specialists, such as nutritionists or dietitians.
Grade: B Recommendation

-The USPSTF recommends routine screening for iron deficiency anemia in asymptomatic pregnant women.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends that clinicians screen all adult patients for obesity and offer intensive counseling and behavioral interventions to promote sustained weight loss for obese adults.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends that clinicians screen children aged 6 years and older for obesity and offer them or refer them to comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions to promote improvement in weight status.
Grade: B recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women aged 65 and older be screened routinely for osteoporosis. The USPSTF recommends that routine screening begin at age 60 for women at increased risk for osteoporotic fractures. (Go to Clinical Considerations for discussion of women at increased risk.)
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends interventions during pregnancy and after birth to promote and support breastfeeding.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends that all women planning or capable of pregnancy take a daily supplement containing 0.4 to 0.8 mg (400 to 800 µg) of folic acid.
Grade: A recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for hearing loss in all newborn infants.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening and behavioral counseling interventions to reduce alcohol misuse (go to Clinical Considerations) by adults, including pregnant women, in primary care settings.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening of adolescents (12-18 years of age) for major depressive disorder (MDD) when systems are in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral or interpersonal), and follow-up.
Grade: B recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends that primary care clinicians prescribe oral fluoride supplementation at currently recommended doses to preschool children older than 6 months of age whose primary water source is deficient in fluoride.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in newborns.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) in newborns.
Grade: A Recommendation

-The U. S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for sickle cell disease in newborns.
Grade: A Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening to detect amblyopia, strabismus, and defects in visual acuity in children younger than age 5 years.
Grade: B Recommendation.

-The USPSTF recommends screening adults for depression when staff-assisted depression care supports are in place to assure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and follow-up.
Grade: B recommendation.

For a complete list of recommended preventative services by the USPATF go to: Preventative Service Recommendations







www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm