The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that 5 million Americans took advantage of one or more of the recommended preventive benefits available through the Affordable Care Act. Among the benefits is the new Annual Wellness Visit benefit. The idea is to either detect early or prevent chronic diseases with tests such as mammograms, bone density tests, colonoscopies, diabetes screens, immunizations and screening for prostate cancer so we can enjoy better care and better health at lower costs through improved health care.
Seventy percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic disease and 38% have between 2 and 4. They see an average of 14 different doctors and fill an average of 50 prescriptions or prescription refills per year! It is estimated that the US could save about 2/3 of the 2.5 trillion dollar medical budget.
