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Seniors Reminded of New Preventive Care Features of
Medicare
Health associations to help bring awareness to
preventive benefits
 Jan.
10, 2005 Today, Health and Human Services issued a news release
reminding senior citizens of some of the benefits of their new
preventive medicine stance. Since Jan. 1, people with Medicare can
take advantage of three new Medicare benefits: a one-time "Welcome to
Medicare" physical exam, cardiovascular screening, and diabetes
screening.
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HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson also announced a
new collaboration on education and outreach with the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) led by CMS Administrator Mark B.
McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., and the leaders of the American Cancer Society,
the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.
The campaign is designed to help maximize attention to Medicare's new
preventive benefits and to help seniors use them.
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson says the Medicare
preventive benefits are designed to provide seniors with better care and
a higher quality of life. He also praised the American Cancer Society,
American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association for
joining with HHS on an education and outreach effort.
"For too long Medicare only paid for benefits after
you got sick. Now, Medicare will pay for benefits that will help seniors
prevent the onset of disease before it becomes serious," Secretary
Thompson said. "These new changes bring Medicare into the 21st century
of medicine. Starting this year, seniors will have better and greater
access to benefits to help keep them healthy and improve their quality
of life."
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"What we want seniors to know is that they can live healthier lives
through these new benefits," Dr. McClellan said. "Together, with
well-respected preventive health leaders, we have formed a strong
partnership to make sure every Medicare beneficiary takes advantage of
these new benefits that will lead a better quality of life."
New Medicare beneficiaries now have the "Welcome to
Medicare" physical exam, coupled with an increasingly broad set of
preventive benefits that will include prescription drug coverage next
year. These provide people with Medicare greater access to more
prevention-focused benefits than ever before. The services are key
features of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), signed into law by
President George W. Bush in December 2003.
"Medicare's new emphasis on prevention and early
detection marks a dramatic shift that will help us in the fight against
cancer," said American Cancer Society's Chief Executive Officer, John R.
Seffrin, Ph.D. "The new physical exam benefit will be a gateway for
doctors to not only recommend patients for screening tests, but also to
counsel them about risk factors for cancer-- tobacco use, diet and
physical activity."
The physical exam is aimed at providing education
and counseling about the preventive services that may be needed. Dr.
McClellan said he believes the exam will significantly improve the
health prospects of Medicare beneficiaries as they enter the program by
helping them take advantage of preventive measures they may not have
known were needed.
In addition to the physical and other benefits
added in recent years, Medicare's comprehensive set of preventive
benefits includes screening services for the following:
> Heart disease
and diabetes;
> Weak bones and
glaucoma; and
> Cancers of the
colon, breast, cervix, and prostate.
Medicare also recently announced its intention to
cover smoking cessation counseling for beneficiaries who have
smoking-related diseases.
"Approximately half of all diabetes cases occur in
people older than age 55. For seniors with diabetes, early access to
quality treatment, health care team education, and patient education are
all very critical. The new preventive benefits for people with Medicare
will assist seniors greatly in meeting these needs," said American
Diabetes Association's Chief Executive Officer, Lynn B. Nicholas, FACHE.
The event today is part of an ongoing HHS emphasis
on preventive health care. Last fall, Secretary Thompson launched a
coordination of resources between HHS agencies, specifically CMS and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to maximize preventive
health care. HHS is also working closely with members of Congress as
part of the broad outreach campaign to make sure Medicare beneficiaries
are aware of the preventive benefits.
"We applaud Secretary Thompson for bringing a
renewed emphasis on prevention to the nation's public health
priorities," said American Heart Association's Chief Executive Officer,
M. Cass Wheeler. "The new benefits go a long way to empowering Medicare
beneficiaries to help keep themselves heart healthy and stroke free."
Increasing the use of preventive services, Dr.
McClellan noted, could save many thousands of lives and billions of
dollars in avoidable medical expenses for preventable complications
associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, weak bones, high blood
pressure, smoking, inactive lifestyles, and other illnesses and
unhealthy behaviors.
"Historically, the vast majority of Medicare's
spending has gone to treating costly health problems after they occur,"
said Dr. McClellan. "We are changing that now as we help seniors use
preventive care, and that along with next year's prescription drug
coverage will help them avoid many costly and debilitating problems. Now
that we've closed the gap in benefits, we're working to close the
'prevention gap' -- the difference between our expert recommendations on
preventive care and the actual use of preventive care by seniors."
For example, Dr. McClellan noted, 56 percent of
Americans 50 and older do not get screening tests that can detect colon
cancer at an early, treatable stage, despite the fact that Medicare
covers such tests. When colon cancer is caught early, survival rates are
over 90 percent.
Dr. McClellan also noted that Medicare Advantage
plans have already been providing many of the new benefits, and these
"coordinated care" plans have the flexibility to cover many additional
preventive services, such as wellness programs, beyond what traditional
Medicare covers. Medicare Advantage plans often offer prevention
benefits including wellness programs, health education services,
exercise programs and other services that not only alert patients to
potential health risks, but also actually work with them to change
harmful lifestyles and encourage healthy behavioral changes. With the
new Medicare law, expanded preventive benefits through Medicare
Advantage plans are more widely available to Medicare beneficiaries.
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