This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at George Washington University Hospital to announce the release of new guidelines that will provide free preventive health care services under the Affordable Care Act.

The new guidelines will mean that insurance plan can no longer charge copayments or other fees for a number of preventive services including colorectal cancer screenings.  The regulation does not take effect until Sept. 23, and it only applies to plans that are new after that, meaning that people who stay on their existing plan won’t benefit from the change. Read the rest of this entry »