Medicare Expanding Coverage To Reduce Cardiovascular Disease
CMS announces new Medicare preventative service to reduce cardiovascular disease
CMS announced Tuesday November 8, 2011 that they are expanding coverage to reduce cardiovascular heart disease in contribution to the Million Hearts Initiative introduced by the Department for Health and Human services earlier this year.
CMS, HMS and the CDC are working together with public and private interests with the goal of preventing one million heart attacks or strokes within the next five years.
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What this Medicare-covered preventative service means to you
Medicare currently includes a wide range of covered preventative services including cardiovascular screenings. Medicare covers these screening tests every five years to test your cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels.
The tests have been covered 100% with 20% of the doctor’s visit being your responsibility. People enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan generally don’t incur an out-of-pocket expense.
The newly announced Medicare coverage to reduce cardiovascular disease will allow one face-to-face visit per year to allow patients and their doctors the opportunity to determine the best way to prevent cardiovascular disease.
The visit must be with a primary care physician such as a general practitioner, doctor of internal medicine or a nurse practitioner. Providers may screen for hypertension and discus a heart healthy diet during the visit.
The expanded service is made possible by the Affordable Care Act.
What do you think of the added service?
I’d like to know what you think of this added service.
Does this expanded benefit save Medicare beneficiaries money and offer value?
Do you feel that since a yearly wellness visit is a Medicare-covered preventative service, this new service is redundant?
Have you ever had an annual wellness visit where your blood pressure was not measured or the provider spoke to you about your health?
Please leave a comment below.
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Comments
Anyone who takes annual checkups seriously and who has a capable Primary Care Physician has aleays had this benefit – nothing new here. If they want to really do something, they should create a wellness seminar focusing on weight, fitness and proper nutrition for seniors at local clinics, hospitals or other healthcare facilities to provide screenings for weight, blood pressure etc.on provide advice – including recommendations to see their PCP if screenings indicate it necessary.
Most good health facilities have nutritionists and qualified staff who could handle this and do so for a group or single person environment.
I participate in any free screenings offered in my area for skin cancer, diabetes screenings etc. Why not encourage a similar effort for cardio-vascular related issues.
PCPs are getting scarcer screenings like these can reduce a little of the work load and since PCPs refer you to a specialist (e.g., Cardiologist) the screenings would work if they were allowed to do the same referral.
This doesn’t add much value.
Have just entered the ranks of Medicare insurance and am enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. So far I’m pleased with everything I’ve read about my plan and have just had my first annual checkup. As a “graduate” of university health services and then HMOs, almost all my life, I am something of a health advocate (“nut”). Have also exper-ienced longish periods without coverage, when fear instilled an impulse to pay attention to my health. I am in very good health for my age, I’m told.
The Medicare Advantage type of plan is a good fit for me. I typically go for a checkup once a year to make sure cholesterol, blood pressure, and other readings are satisfactory, and then live a fairly simple life style, with special attention to eating and exercising every day, taking some supplements as well.
I feel very lucky, blessed, and pleased to be a healthy citizen in a national health plan that I feel can only get better, now that sound pieces of good health practices are being put into place.
We all need to remember: As ye sew, ye shall reap. … and … Living well is the best revenge. … and carpe diem–seize the day… every day. Every day, take good care of what you have and do your best to take care of yourself. There is abundant literature everywhere regarding healthy living and eating. Take advantage of it! Educate yourself and your family! and then begin living well to be well. It’s the only way to go.
Start now and you won’t be sorry. It’s never too late! (unless you’re on your way to the cemetary in a casket)!
I agree with the above. There are plenty online healthy eating groups. I belong to Weight Watchers’ online community. Also CMS should make people get off their behind and join a Silver Sneekers program at the Y or a local fitness center. But the reality is a lot of folks get lazy as they grow old. It’s hard to break habits. I am now a vegan and have lost 135 lbs by eating health and working out at my local fitness center. Get off your behind … You don’t need a doctor to tell you that. What you do need is for him to tell you to stop taking cholesterol medication. My primary did and he was shock at my lab results. He said my results were that of an 18 year old. LIVE! Don’t live to die.
The more that is covered in Preventive medicine, the better.
Every year when I go for an annual physical (a habit picked up from my former employer’s health insurance) I end up paying for the results of my blood draw screening.A physical is really not of much value unless you have “the numbers” that can be tracked for trends, or against recommended values.
New services? Sounds to me somewhat like an attempt to give Medicare a better image, which could be a good thing. There is so much negative hype out there it’s good to hear something that sounds positive. On the positive side, it is different than a regular check-up. It appears to give a patient and doctor time to discuss overall health issues.
i agree with the rest if you have a good pcp on your checkups all this is included anyway,things that medicare need to be doing they are not,for instance like bathroom equipment,do you know how many people need grab bars on their bathtub to get in and out of the tub and cannot now that is what need to be addressed,more assistance
Indeed, people still have needs–grab bars, etc. But if you start exercising now, no matter your age!, you will improve your balance and improve your chances of staying upright in the bath.
Our mother is 91 y.o. She has fallen numerous times (not in bath, thank goodness). She had required assistance to get her out of bath when seated in the tub (a major effort! took about 10 minutes for her to get up and out, holding someone’s hands! really!)
Then she got physical therapy guidance from local “Rehab” clinic, courtesy of (guess who?) yes, Medicare. (covers 12 visits per year if Dr’s rx). And amazingly she regained enough strength in those legs to be almost self-sufficient getting out of bath from seated position–less than a minute. She didn’t want physical therapy, resisted most strongly. But even she was impressed with the results. Whether she’ll continue with exercises over time …. well, we just hope she well.
So you see, it’s never too late! Get out there! Get off the cushions! Walk, stretch, get advice online, from magazines …. Get off the internet and work! Do it! You won’t be sorry!
I would rather it cover exercise expense. American heart.org can educate you on diet @ no cost at least they did me & they will send you books,cooking etc. for free it is the fee to use a fitness center especially in the winter months on east coast when weather does not permit you to walk out doors because of wind & cold. Thank you Rella D
Too little-discussion and testing for hypertension are not nearly enough to screen for cardiovascular disease.
Before I was on medicare my doctor tested my cholesterol every year during my physical. Now at an age when heart disease is more likely to occur- I can only get it done every 5 years. There is definitely something wrong with this picture and the public is being blindsided!
Just hype by those ‘runnning’ Medicare to distort the facts, in my opinion.
How did a simple thing like an annual physical beome so complicated? Hint: Federalized medicine.
New cardiovas coverage seems redundant but primary care doctors are very weak in offering diet guidance (go to weight watchers or get on a low fat diet)on an ongoing basis for people who have weight problems. Seeing a dietian who can work within a person’s budget and evaluate eating patterns, etc. might be a better offering. Just like diabetes….they wait til you get it before they send you to training. It should be preventative by taking the classes.
Thanks for the information you send.