U.S. Pushes Medicare Preventive Services

More than 5 million people have received free preventive care now offered by Medicare, U.S. officials say. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 required these benefits. Officials released a report about their use on June 20. For Medicare, preventive care includes an annual wellness visit. It also includes tests such as screening for breast and colon cancer. These services require no copayments or deductibles. Officials say they want more people to use these benefits. They believe this could save money by preventing illness or catching and treating it early. Therefore, the government is launching a campaign to promote the benefits. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about the announcement.