Some Medicaid patients might not have coverage for recommended preventive services due to the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act's distinction between newly eligible and existing Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a study in Health Affairs.
The PPACA requires other insurers to cover preventive health services such as well-adult exams and cancer screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. However, coverage for those services is only mandatory for newly eligible beneficiaries under state Medicaid expansions, according to the study.
Researchers reviewed Medicaid policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia from June to November 2012 and contacted people in state Medicaid agencies. They found that a number of preventive services such as osteoporosis screenings are rarely covered. Not requiring coverage of these services for existing Medicaid beneficiaries means that many low-income individuals will forgo preventive care, the researchers wrote.
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