Only about half of American adults got screenings, medications
to ward off disease By Robert Preidt THURSDAY, June 14
(HealthDay News) -- Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care
Act in 2010, only about half of U.S. adults received preventive
health services such as screenings, consultations and
prescriptions, government researchers report. Increased use of
preventive health services could save tens of thousands of
lives, according to the researchers from the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. The investigators also noted
that the Affordable Care Act -- which provides coverage for many
preventive tests -- could lead to greater use of such services.
The CDC team analyzed national data from 2007 to 2010 to assess
the use of certain adult preventive services such as aspirin or
other blood-thinning drugs, blood pressure control, screening
for and controlling high cholesterol, and quitting cigarettes
and other tobacco products. Among the findings: "Clinical
preventive services prevent heart attack