News and Announcements

Press Releases

• August 20, 2012, CMS Press Release, People With Medicare Save Over $4.1 Billion On Prescription Drugs Thanks To The Health Care Law/18 Million With Medicare Also Receive Free Preventive Services In The First Seven Months OF 2012
• July 10, 2012, CMS Press Release, More Than 16 Million People With Medicare Get Free Preventive Services in 2012
• June 11, 2012, CMS Press Release, Health Care Law Delivers Free Preventive Services to Over 14 Million People with Medicare in 2012
• February 15, 2012, HHS Press Release, Affordable Care Act extended free preventive services to 54 million Americans with private health insurance in 2011: Free preventive care also provided to 32.5 million in Medicare
• November 29, 2011, CMS Press Release, Medicare Covers Screening and Counseling for Obesity
• November 8, 2011, CMS Press Release, Medicare Expands Coverage of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Services
• October 14, 2011, CMS Press Release, Medicare Covers Screening and Counseling for Alcohol Misuse and Screening for Depression
• October 6, 2011, HHS Press Release, More people using free preventive benefits provided by Affordable Care Act
• June 20, 2011, CMS Press Release, More People with Medicare Receiving Free Preventive Care

MLN Matters® Articles

•  November 8, 2011, CMS released Special Edition MLN Matters® article, SE1136 2011-2012 Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Resources for Healthcare Professionals [PDF, 106KB]
• October 21, 2011, CMS has released Special Edition MLN Matters® article, SE1129 Reminder—Beneficiary Cost-Sharing for Medicare-Covered Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act [PDF, 115KB] . Effective for Dates of Service (DOS) on or after January 1, 2011, Medicare provides 100 percent payment (in other words, waives any deductible, coinsurance or copayment) for many Medicare-covered preventive services. This article serves as a reminder and quick reference for the changes to deductibles, copayments, or coinsurances for these services.

Other Prevention Related News and Announcements

• Now Payable under Medicare - Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and High-Intensity Behavioral Counseling (HIBC) to Prevent STIs – Effective11/8/11
• June 20, 2011, Dear Doc letter from the CMS Administrator [PDF, 111KB]
• June 20, 2011, Share the News. Share the Health Campaign Rollout YouTube video features HHS Secretary Sebelius, CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D., and Administration on Aging Assistant Secretary Kathy Greenlee announcing the Share the News, Share the Health campaign to promote Medicare's preventive services.