Access to Health Care
What Can Be Done
The Affordable Care Act:
- Is projected to extend health insurance for up to 94% of people below 65 years old (an additional 32 million people) by 2019.
- Can reduce skipped or delayed care because people are less likely to have gaps in insurance.
- Requires insurance plans to cover and not charge co-payments for effective preventive services. Greater use of these services could save 100,000 lives each year.
Everyone can:
- Get healthy. Eat less sugar, salt and saturated fats and more fruits and vegetables. Walk 30 minutes a day. Quit smoking, or don't start.
- Stay healthy. Take any medicines your doctor has prescribed. Talk to your doctor about medication programs that help people with low incomes if you can't afford your medicine.
- Sign up for health insurance. Even if you have a pre-existing condition, health insurance is now available in some states.
- Go see your main health care provider. Your primary care doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant can make sure that you are up-to-date with preventive services such as immunizations, as well as cholesterol, mental health, and cancer screenings. Also, they can help prevent costly and disabling complications such as strokes and heart attacks.
- Find your options for health care you can receive right now. See http://www.hrsa.gov/gethealthcare/index.html and http://www.healthcare.gov.
Employers can:
- Provide comprehensive wellness programs for employees that include physical activity and other wellness measures.
- Provide options that make health insurance and health care easier to afford for employees. These options should include basic primary care and prevention.
Health care providers can:
- Include at least some preventive care at each patient visit.
- Support the use of retail sites, schools, churches, and community centers to make it more convenient for people to get basic primary care and prevention, including vaccinations.
Health insurance plans can:
- Promote healthy diet and physical activity for their enrollees. Adults who are overweight or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes are more likely to have higher health care costs.
- Provide basic primary care and prevention services in more convenient locations such as retail sites, schools, churches, and community centers.
Contact Us:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd
Atlanta, GA 30333 - 800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348 - cdcinfo@cdc.gov