Preventive care benefits for children

Most health plans must cover a set of preventive health services for children at no cost. This includes Marketplace and Medicaid coverage.

IMPORTANT These services are free only when delivered by a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network.

Coverage for children’s preventive health services

All Marketplace health plans and many other plans must cover the following list of preventive services for children without charging you a copayment or coinsurance. This is true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible.

  1. Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use assessments for adolescents
  2. Autism screening for children at 18 and 24 months
  3. Behavioral assessments for children: Age 0 to 11 months, 1 to 4 years, 5 to 10 years, 11 to 14 years, 15 to 17 years
  4. Bilirubin concentration screening (PDF, 609 KB) for newborns
  5. Blood pressure screening for children: Age 0 to 11 months, 1 to 4 years , 5 to 10 years, 11 to 14 years, 15 to 17 years
  6. Blood screening for newborns
  7. Depression screening for adolescents beginning routinely at age 12
  8. Developmental screening for children under age 3
  9. Dyslipidemia screening (PDF, 609 MB) for all children once between 9 and 11 years and once between 17 and 21 years, and for children at higher risk of lipid disorders
  10. Fluoride supplements for children without fluoride in their water source
  11. Fluoride varnish for all infants and children as soon as teeth are present
  12. Gonorrhea preventive medication for the eyes of all newborns
  13. Hearing screening for all newborns; and regular screenings (PDF, 609 KB) for children and adolescents as recommended by their provider
  14. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) measurements (PDF, 609 KB) taken regularly for all children
  15. Hematocrit or hemoglobin screening for all children
  16. Hemoglobinopathies or sickle cell screening for newborns
  17. Hepatitis B screening for adolescents at higher risk
  18. HIV screening for adolescents at higher risk
  19. Hypothyroidism screening for newborns
  20. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) HIV prevention medication for HIV-negative adolescents at high risk for getting HIV through sex or injection drug use

  21. Immunizations for children from birth to age 18 — doses, recommended ages, and recommended populations vary:

  22. Lead screening for children at risk of exposure

  23. Obesity screening and counseling

  24. Oral health risk assessment (PDF, 609 KB) for young children from 6 months to 6 years
  25. Phenylketonuria (PKU) screening for newborns
  26. Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling and screening for adolescents at higher risk
  27. Tuberculin testing for children at higher risk of tuberculosis: Age 0 to 11 months, 1 to 4 years, 5 to 10 years, 11 to 14 years, 15 to 17 years
  28. Vision screening for all children
  29. Well-baby and well-child visits

More information about preventive services for children

More on prevention