WASHINGTON (April 30, 2026) — A new report from researchers at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health updates findings on the Affordable Care Act’s guarantee of free preventive services for nearly all privately insured patients, and examines the extensive health and financial benefits gained by millions of families.
The report comes at a time of heightened attention to the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Under the ACA guarantee, approximately 150 million children and adults are enrolled in ACA-compliant private insurance plans and covered for a range of preventive services without cost sharing. Researchers found that a typical family using recommended preventive health services can save more than $4,000 annually in out-of-pocket costs.
Using claims data from FAIR Health — an independent nonprofit that holds the nation’s largest collection of commercial healthcare claims data — the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative team examined the four categories of preventive benefits included in the ACA’s free coverage guarantee:
- Evidence-based preventive services rated “A” or “B” by U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
- Immunizations for children and adults recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
- For infants, children and adolescents, evidence-informed preventive care and screenings in accordance with guidance recommended in the comprehensive guidelines in the Bright Futures Guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration
- For women, such additional preventive care and screenings beyond those recommended by the USPSTF as provided for in comprehensive guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
FAIR health data show that in 2024, nearly two-thirds (62.2 percent) of privately insured patients used at least one ACA-covered preventive service. This means an estimated 100 million insured patients realized the significant health benefits resulting from the preventive benefit guarantee. The preventive health guarantee covers high-value preventive health care throughout the lifespan, beginning with newborns and continuing throughout children’s growth and development, early and later adulthood, healthy pregnancy and childbearing, and into old age. The report focuses on several selected USPSTF-recommended services, including screening for hypertension and breast, colon, cervical and lung cancers. All of these services address health risks that, if undetected, can become life-threatening. Most are associated with costly treatments for chronic conditions later in life.
Families also realized substantial financial benefits: despite their proven value, preventive services are costly, and when not fully covered, are subject to cost-sharing. Analysis of the FAIR Health cost data shows that for a typical family, out-of-pocket cost savings can be thousands of dollars because the preventive service is guaranteed to be covered by their insurer and is available without cost sharing. Without guaranteed coverage, families could face the full provider charges for preventive care rather than the discounted amount the insurer would pay.
-GW-