Today, too many Americans don’t get the preventive health care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, lead productive lives, and reduce health care costs. Often because of cost, Americans use preventive services at about half the recommended rate. Yet chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes—which are responsible for seven of 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75% of the nation’s health spending—often are preventable. Cost sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments) reduces the likelihood that preventive services will be used. One study found that the rate of women getting a mammogram went up as much as 9% when cost sharing was removed.

The Affordable Care Act—the health insurance reform legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010—will help make prevention affordable and accessible for all Americans, including those enrolled in Medicare.

On June 25 and July 2, the Administration proposed new rules to implement two key provisions of the Affordable Care Act relating to prevention: no beneficiary out-of-pockets costs for most preventive care and coverage for an annual wellness visit at no expense to beneficiaries. These rules will be finalized on or before November 1 in order for both provisions to take effect on January 1, 2011.

Medicare’s increased focus on prevention is incredibly important for America’s seniors, who often go without needed preventive care because of high costs and lack of coverage. For example, increased vaccinations and screenings among seniors could save lives as well as dollars. Approximately 40,000 Americans die each year from pneumococcal infections, with the highest rate among seniors. Yet, only 58% of Americans over 65 have received the vaccination. One study estimates that if all seniors received this vaccine, health costs could be reduced by nearly $1 billion per year.

Obesity is another prime example where a focus on prevention will save lives and dollars. Research indicates that if current obesity in seniors were reduced to the levels of the 1980s, Medicare could save an estimated $1 trillion over the next 25 years.