Health Promotion Preventive Services for Adults Covered by the ACA

Published: September 25, 2024

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires most private health insurance plans and Medicaid ACA expansion programs to cover the full cost of several preventive services related to health promotion, such as counseling on healthy diet, obesity prevention, and alcohol use. Plans must also cover screening for intimate partner violence, urinary incontinence, and checkup visits for women.

The required services are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) based on recommendations issued by the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative.  The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends vaccines for adults and children that must also be covered without cost-sharing. 

The table below presents detailed information on clinical preventive services related to health promotion for adults covered under the ACA, including a summary of the recommendation, the target population, effective date of coverage, and related coverage clarifications. Ongoing litigation over the scope of the preventive services requirement in the case, Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra, could affect coverage policy of preventive health services in the future.