Medicare is 20 years behind the times in terms of what comprises true "preventive care". Mammos, Pap smears, etc are "detection", not prevention. The tests that would truly help with prevention -- things like comprehensive analyses of the GI tract, measurements of levels of insulin resistance, vitamin D and other nutrient levels -- these are part of real prevention. But, guess what? They not covered. At the very least there should be a pretax benefit or deduction for physicians to practice real prevention...but, like I said, the government will be the last ones to that party.

Q: Why don't we start getting our cancer screenings when we turn 10 years old? A: The cost of the preventative medicine outweighs the cost of treatment of the disease. There's a point where preventative medicine DOES save money. That's where we should be focusing resources.

You just have to pass it so you can see whats in it...nany pelosi...obamacare

central planning! I doesn't work in business and it won't work in health care.

"To get paid by Medicare, a physician and nurse must complete 15 steps during a 30- to 45-minute exam, including brief screenings for dementia and depression, an eye exam, a medical history and personalized health advice. They must also check weight, height and blood pressure" ---- It would be nice to know what those 15 steps are. Is checking weight, height and blood pressure 3 steps or are they all part of one step?

I still prefer Obamacare to the "benign neglect" and "leave it to the marketplace" approach of the Republicans. But most Americans have no idea what genuine preventive medicine really is. American food is largely fake food that causes health problems, including cancer. If we left it entirely to the marketplace, we'd all be like that guy who ate nothing but McDonalds food for one month and nearly killed himself in the process. The American way of life is profoundly unhealthy and our "health care system" is a big sham, like our food industry.

I am a former Minnesotan living in Australia which has socialized medicine. It isn't perfect...but pretty darn good. We do not have these specific wellness checks with all sorts of rules. The rules are what jack the prices up and complicate the system.

The big federal health overhaul that Congress passed last year should be redone.

Federal officials announced a nationwide campaign among doctors, patients and families of those on Medicare to increase awareness of the benefits under the new law. The Affordable Care Act, President Obama's health-care overhaul passed by Congress last year, was designed to make it easier for Americans in situations like Verone's to get health insurance BTW check "Penny Health" for more information

For those patients on a private Medicare plan (Advantage, Cost and Supplement), those other tests are covered too. Where it gets confusing is those of us NOT on Medicare. The new law covers preventative care at 100% but but restrictive guidelines on preventative care. Call your plan to find out what is covered to avoid a huge bill.