AHIP, Public and Private Organizations Launch Promoting Health Through Prevention (PHtP) to Raise Awareness, Boost Uptake of Preventive Health Services
18 June 2024 - 1:53PM
Business Wire
AHIP and a coalition of preeminent public and private health
organizations are launching Promoting Health Through Prevention
(PHtP), a coordinated campaign to promote the availability of
preventive services for no out-of-pocket cost under the Affordable
Care Act.
Proactive screenings for cancer, behavioral health conditions,
and heart disease, among other conditions, can help keep Americans
of all ages healthy and identify potential problems early.
“Every American should know what preventive services and
screenings are recommended and available to them with no cost
sharing under their health insurance coverage,” said Mike
Tuffin, President and CEO of AHIP. “We welcome this opportunity
to partner with leading stakeholders to help educate consumers
about their preventive care benefits.”
Uptake of preventive services varies. For example, approximately
80% of adults are up-to-date with screenings for heart disease,
60-70% are current with cancer screenings, and only 30-40% are
being screened or referred for substance use and mental health
conditions.
“Our nation’s foremost health policy priority must be
prevention,” said Dr. Anand Parekh, chief medical advisor of the
Bipartisan Policy Center, who helped catalyze the formation of
the coalition. “One significant way to enhance Americans’ health is
to increase the uptake of high-value evidence-based clinical
preventive services, which can help detect diseases early.”
The coalition will use multiple communications channels and draw
attention to several tools and services to educate Americans about
the importance of preventive services, including the use of
MyHealthfinder, developed by the Office of Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion within the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
"Rates of access to preventive health services and primary care
visits, which were already well below ideal levels prior to the
pandemic, have yet to rebound fully. This is especially worrisome
among certain racial and ethnic communities whose rates were
concerningly low," explained RDML Paul Reed, MD, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Health Director, Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion. "To address such alarming
trends – with the attendant risk for delayed or missed diagnoses –
we need more partnerships like this one to help improve health
literacy and preventive services access."
Participating organizations include: the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (AHRQ), American Academy of Family Physicians
(AAFP), the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cigna Healthcare, Elevance
Health, Florida Blue, Highmark Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente,
Mental Health America, the National Alliance of Healthcare
Purchaser Coalitions, National Association of Community Health
Centers, NCQA, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion (ODPHP), Quartz Health Solutions, and the VBID Center at
the University of Michigan.
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James Swann AHIP Director of Communications and Public Affairs
202-778-3204 jswann@ahip.org