I will always remember the night in March of this year when the Senate voted and passed the Federal Healthcare Reform Bill.  I had followed the development of this bill very closely, read the proposed law, discussed it with the two ECIC Health Advisory Committees, sent out several notices to GSCs, had debates with many of my friends and even held a number of meetings in my home about the proposed legislation.  That night though in March, when the votes were counted and we all knew Federal Healthcare Reform had finally passed… I shouted so loudly in celebration that I’m sure our neighbors heard and thought something was wrong… I unfortunately woke up our 4 year old who I then had to put back to sleep.

There are many things to celebrate about the new law and one of the earliest provisions of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to take effect is Section 2713.  This provision requires health plans to cover, at absolutely no out-of-pocket cost to families, a comprehensive set of preventive services as outlined in the Bright Futures Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  The preventive services include:

·       Well-baby and well-child visits every few months whilst babies are young, and a visit every year until a child is 21 years old.  These well-child visits will cover a comprehensive array of preventive health services: all the recommended childhood vaccinations and boosters, from measles to polio vaccines, physical exams, vision and hearing screening, oral health risk assessments, developmental assessments to identify any development problems, and counseling and guidance about your child’s health development.

·         Screenings and counseling to prevent, detect, and treat common childhood problems including: obesity to help children maintain a healthy weight, depression among adolescent children, dental cavities and anemia.

This landmark investment in preventive services will eventually allow all families, regardless of income, the opportunity to visit pediatricians regularly during your children's most critical years of development.  As a parent, I am thankful the new health law will provide preventive services for millions of children across the nation.  However, for parents and children who do not have health insurance coverage either through private health insurance or via public health insurance (Medicaid, CHIP or MI-Child here in Michigan)  they will still fall through the gaps unfortunately as health services for these uninsured children, including those who are eligible for public health insurance but are not enrolled... the status quo remains.