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TB Preventive Services

The Affordable Care Act requires coverage of recommended preventive services without cost-sharing for the following health plans:

  1. Non-grandfathered private health insurance plans – Most private insurance plans, including all plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace, and all group or individual health insurance plans that did not exist on March 23, 2010 or that have made significant changes to benefits, cost-sharing, or limits since that time are required to cover services without cost-sharing.1
  2. Medicare – All USPSTF recommended services that have a Grade “A” or “B” and that are covered by Medicare must be covered without cost-sharing.2
  3. Medicaid expansion plans in states that expanded (i.e. Alternative Benefit Plans) – Medicaid expansion plans offered by states that extend Medicaid eligibility to non-elderly individuals with annual incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($15,880 for an individual or $32,319 for a family of 4 in 2016) are required to cover services without cost-sharing.3,4
  4. Traditional Medicaid plans – Those states that, at their option, cover without cost-sharing in their standard Medicaid benefit package all USPSTF-recommended services that have a Grade “A” or “B” and all ACIP-recommended vaccines receive an increase in their federal medical assistance for such services and vaccines.5

In addition to these services, private and public plans may cover other preventive services without cost-sharing.

Preventive Service

Recommending Authority
(authorized under Section 1001 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act)

Eligible Populations and Service Specifics

Health Insurance Plans That Cover the Service Without Cost-Sharing

Tuberculosis Testing

Bright Futures Recommendations for Pediatric Preventive Health Care, Supported by HRSA
(Recommendations issued 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics)6

Tuberculosis testing per recommendations of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, published in the current edition of AAP Red Book: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. Testing should be performed on recognition of high-risk factors.6

  • Non-grandfathered private health insurance plans
  • Medicaid expansion plans
  • Traditional Medicaid plans
    Optional as above. In general, preventive services for children are covered Included as part of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit for children; cost-sharing may apply in some cases.

USPSTF
(Grade "B" recommendation, issued September, 2016)

The USPSTF recommends screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in adult populations at increased risk.

(See Final Recommendation Statement: Latent Tuberculosis Infection: Screening - US Preventive Services Task Force.)

  • Non-grandfathered private health insurance plans
    Coverage must be in effect for plan years beginning after September, 2017.1
  • Medicaid expansion plans
  • Traditional Medicaid plans
    Optional as above.

NOTE: Programs in states that are implementing “alternative” means to expand Medicaid (i.e. expanding Medicaid through “premium assistance”) should be mindful of state decisions regarding coverage and cost-sharing of these preventive services for newly eligible Medicaid enrollees.

References

6 2016 Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care. Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine and Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule Workgroup. Pediatrics 2016;137.

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