Are Cancer Screenings Included in Preventative Care?
Are Cancer Screenings Included in Preventative Care?
Cancer is one of the most deadly medical conditions in the world, and there is currently no permanent cure. As of 2020, there were an estimated 18.1 million cancer cases worldwide. Of that number, 9.3 million cases were men, and 8.8 million were women.
The deadly nature of cancer and the financial hole it digs in people’s finances is one reason cancer advocacy focuses on early detection. However, conducting screening tests costs money, which most people may not have. But if they have health insurance, will it cover the screening under preventative care? Keep reading to discover the answer.
Does Preventative Care Insurance Cover Cancer Screenings?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) lists cancer among the medical conditions for which a health insurance policyholder can get preventative care. However, it only covers screening, wellness checkups, and patient counseling. The aim of listing cancer as part of preventative care is to enable early detection, increasing the chances of recovery.
Under the provisions of the ACA, an insurance company must pay 10o% for the Preventative care a policyholder receives. As a result, your insurer cannot charge you extra fees or ask you to copay or share in the cost of the preventative care service. Also, preventative care covers different cancers, including breast and cervical cancers.
The following are the screening exams and prevention care policyholders can get for cancer:
- Mammograms
- Obesity screening and counseling
- Breast cancer chemoprevention counseling
- Nutrition counseling for those with a risk for high chronic disease
- Pat tests
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Human papilomavirus (HPV) tests
- Smoke cessation help
- Human papillomavirus vaccine
- Lung cancer screening
- Breast cancer genetic test counseling
- Cervical cancer screening for sexually active women
What If Cancer Symptoms Have Already Appeared?
The essence of preventative care is to detect an illness early before it becomes chronic. Therefore, if you are sick or have already noticed symptoms, you have gone beyond the threshold of preventative care. At this point, your doctor is not trying to prevent an illness but to arrive at a definite diagnosis.
As a result, preventative care insurance will not cover diagnostic tests. Instead, your insurer will ask you to co-pay or charge other fees depending on your insurance plan. Therefore, find out from your insurer what their co-pay policy is when buying a health insurance plan.
Our team at Goldstein Healthcare is dedicated to making health insurance easy and accessible for everyone. We will provide customized plans tailored to your needs and with the right preventative care coverage. Click here to read more about all of our coverage options.