Lawmaker questions regulators about preventive-care provisions in health law

The Hill: "Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) has asked federal regulators to make sure new rules banning cost-sharing for preventive care don't inadvertently preclude employers from rewarding cost-effective care. In a letter to the heads of the Health, Treasury and Labor departments, Ensign gives the example of a self-insured employer that currently pays $1,500 for employees to get a routine colonoscopy, which can cost anywhere from $900 to $7,200; under the new rules, Ensign asks, would the employer be prohibited from making the employee pay a portion of the procedure if the employee chooses a more expensive option?" (Pecquet, 8/4).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.