The Hill (07/10/12) Viebeck, Elise
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says that more than 16 million Medicare beneficiaries were able to receive preventative care services for free during the first half of the year thanks to the Affordable Care Act. That number includes the 1.35 million senior citizens who took advantage of the free annual wellness visit that the healthcare reform law provides to Medicare beneficiaries once a year. Those visits include reviews of patients' health as well as education and counseling about preventive services and other types of care. HHS noted that Medicare beneficiaries were also able to receive free pneumonia and flu shots, HIV screenings, and smoking cessation services thanks to the healthcare reform law.

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