Coverage of Preventive Services: Provisions of Selected Current Health CareReform Proposals

摘要

This background paper first describes prevention and clinical preventiveservices, and specifies the way in which the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) uses the concept of preventive services in its analysis of current health care reform proposals. Second, the background paper provides a 'roadmap' to four major approaches to reform. Third, the paper summarizes the preventive services proposed under selected health care reform proposals. Eight tables accompanying this paper summarize the reform proposals' provisions for preventive services; the associated narrative reviews the proposals in terms of 5 broad categories of preventive services: Pregnancy-related services; preventive services for children; adult screening services; health promotion, education, and counseling services; and immunizations. Also discussed are: the ways in which the proposals address the issue of patient cost-sharing for preventive services; preventive services specifically excluded from the proposals; and approaches to determining coverage for preventive services not mentioned specifically in the proposals.