Preventive Care Means New Cost Savings for All Americans

While the elimination of copays, deductibles, and other cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act will mean cost savings for all Americans, it will provide significant savings for Americans in greatest need of important, potentially life-saving preventive services. For instance, if a 58-year old woman who is at risk for heart disease should receive a mammogram, a colon cancer screening, a Pap test, a diabetes test, a cholesterol test, and an annual flu shot under a typical insurance plan, she could end up paying more than $300 out of her own pocket.

The proven benefits of preventive services also include additional cost savings for the nation from improved health and productivity of the nation’s workforce and reduced national health care spending.

• If just five preventive services—colorectal and breast cancer screening, flu vaccines, and counseling on smoking cessation and regular aspirin use—were used effectively, 100,000 deaths could be averted each year. In addition, effective cancer screening and early and sustained treatment could reduce the cancer death rate by 29%.
• Sixty-nine million workers reported missing days because of illness each year, reducing economic output by $260 billion per year.
• Obese individuals have health care costs 39% above average. Reducing obesity and the diseases related to it could lower premiums overall by 0.05% to 0.1%.
• Every dollar spent on immunizations could save $5.30 on direct health care costs and
• $16.50 on total societal costs of disease.

Watch the HealthCare.gov video below for more information: