Top preventative services covered by the Affordable Care Act

Even if you're healthy now, health insurance protects you and your family (and your wallet) from the unexpected -- an accident, an illness or whatever life may throw at you.

And now, it's easier than ever before to get quality, affordable health insurance for you and your family. You may have heard of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare), but what does it all mean?

EARLIER: Can I afford healthcare and do I qualify for insurance?

It means you have new options and access to services that were not available before. In order to promote improved health, drive down costs and prevent illness and disease, many preventive care services are now covered by insurance plans under the ACA.

There are new kinds of financial help available to make sure these far-from-skimpy plans are within reach for families with budgets of all sizes.

Now, all Marketplace health plans – and many other plans – must cover the following list of preventive services without charging you a copayment or coinsurance. This is true even if you haven't met your yearly deductible. This applies only when these services are delivered by an in-network provider. They include:

1. Vaccinations

2. Cholesterol Screening

3. Blood Pressure Screening

4. Colorectal Cancer Screening

5, Mammograms

6. Pap Smears

7. Contraception: Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling, as prescribed by a health care provider for women with reproductive capacity (not including abortifacient drugs).

8. Sexually Transmitted Infections Screenings

9. Autism Screenings

10. Vision, Hearing and Developmental Screenings for Young ChildrenTo see a full list of preventive services now available under the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov.

To see a full list of preventive services now available under the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov.