If you are a Medicare beneficiary, July 1st was an important date for you. That was when new benefits were made available to Medicare beneficiaries. In the closing days of the last Congress, legislation was passed that expands Medicare benefits to include screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.

The Beneficiary Improvements and Protections Act calls for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), to phase in specific coverage for certain tests and therapies that can detect diseases early, when they are most easily treated or cured. This legislation expands earlier legislation that I authored and that was enacted into law amending Medicare to include preventive benefits.

Early detection is the key to saving lives and improving the quality of life for Medicare recipients. Since its inception 36 years ago, Medicare has given seniors access to high quality medical care and protection from the devastating cost of illness.

We must never forget why Medicare was created. It was because seniors were unable to purchase affordable health insurance. In 1973, Medicare was expanded to cover those suffering from disabilities. Over time, new benefits have been added to Medicare to augment the original vision of the program. Since its inception, Medicare has provided health care coverage to more than 93 million seniors and people with disabilities.

New preventive services include the following:

• Effective July 1, 2001, a Pap test and pelvic exam every two years instead of every three for women not at high risk of uterine or vaginal cancers. (Medicare covers these tests annually for women at high risk.); 
• Effective July 1, 2001, a screening colonoscopy every 10 years for people not at high risk for colorectal cancer. (Medicare covers this test every two years for people at high risk.); 
• Effective January 1, 2002, an annual glaucoma screening for people at high risk, a family history of the disease, or with diabetes; 
• Effective January 1, 2002, medical nutrition therapy by registered dieticians or other qualified nutrition professionals for people with diabetes, chronic renal disease and post-transplant patients.

Other preventive services now covered by Medicare include:

• Four types of colorectal cancer screening tests, including a yearly take-home fecal-occult blood test; 
• A flexible sigmoidoscopy every four years; 
• A colonoscopy every two years for high-risk individuals, or a barium enema as an alternative to the colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy; 
• A baseline mammogram for women with Medicare aged 35 to 39; 
• An annual mammogram for women with Medicare aged 40 and older; Bone mass measurements for people at risk of osteoporosis; 
• Prostate cancer screening exams for men with Medicare aged 50 and older; 
• A yearly flu shot; 
• A pneumonia shot if needed; A hepatitis B shot for people with medium to high risk for hepatitis.

By law, most of these preventive services require about a 20% co-pay of a Medicare-approved amount. Some, like the annual flu shot, and pneumonia shot when necessary, are free when given by doctors who accept Medicare assignment.

For more information on preventive services covered by Medicare, visit the Medicare Web site at www.medicare.gov.  Or call toll free-1-800-633-4227). The TTY/TDD number is 1-877-486-2048. This information also is contained in the Medicare & You handbook, which will be mailed to all homes of people with Medicare this fall.