Health ACA Provides for Immunization Coverage in Colorado

Campaign seeks to raise awareness of immunization coverage provisions included in Affordable Care Act

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has launched a new campaign to help educate Coloradans about vaccination benefits available through the Affordable Care Act.

“The Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to provide full childhood and adult immunization coverage for their members,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, director of the department’s Immunization Section. “This is an important benefit of the new health care law, and one we believe can improve the health of all Coloradans.”

The campaign website, http://pricelessprevention.org/, helps people determine whether they are covered and provides three easy steps to determine if their private insurance plan covers the costs of their preventive care. Individuals covered by Medicare or Medicaid will continue to have their immunizations covered through those programs. People who do not have insurance can access low-cost vaccines through local health departments.

For information on how to access immunization services in Colorado, contact the Immunization Section at 303-692-2650.The campaign includes radio and Internet advertising, and information for distribution through health care provider offices. The campaign is paid for by a federal grant to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Materials are available in English and Spanish.

“We want people to take advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s vaccination provisions. Immunization is one of the best ways for Coloradans to stay healthy,” Herlihy said. “Recent outbreaks of whooping cough in Colorado and elsewhere have given all of us a fresh reminder of why we need to immunize.”

Preventive service provisions in the Affordable Care Act include the following:•        Immunizations for whooping cough, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), influenza (the “flu”) and hepatitis, among others•

Blood pressure screening for adults 18 and older•

Women’s preventive services, such as mammograms•

Regular well-baby and well-child visits from birth through age 21•

Screenings for many types of cancer•

Tobacco screenings and cessation interventions•

Cholesterol screening for men 35 and older, and women 45 and olderFor a full list of covered preventive services, go to www.healthcare.gov/center/regulations/prevention.html