News

10/7/13 The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a final recommendation statement on screening children and adolescents for primary hypertension, or high blood pressure. The Task Force concluded that there is a lack of current concrete evidence to recommend screening for primary hypertension in asymptomatic children and adolescents in order to prevent cardiovascular disease in childhood or adulthood. Because the evidence is also unclear as to whether lowering blood pressure in youth leads to improved cardiovascular health in adulthood, the USPSTF issued an "I" recommendation statement. The "I" recommendation statement reflects that there is insufficient evidence for the USPSTF to make a recommendation.

The USPSTF's evidence review found that high blood pressure in children and teens has increased in recent years, in part due to the rise in childhood obesity. According to the USPSTF, although it is difficult to predict which children and teens will develop hypertension as adults, children and teens can improve their cardiovascular health by eating nutritious meals, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight. According to the USPSTF, there has been limited research done on the effectiveness and safety of blood pressure medications when used in children and adolescents. As a result, the USPSTF emphasizes the need for additional research.

The USPSTF is an independent panel of non-federal government experts that conduct reviews of scientific evidence of preventive health care services. The USPSTF then develops and publishes recommendations for primary care clinicians and health systems in the form of recommendation statements. As part of their recommendations process, the USPSTF will assign definitions to the services they review based on the certainty that a patient will receive a substantial benefit from receiving the benefit. Services that are graded "A" and "B" are highly recommended and the USPSTF believes there is a high certainty that patient will receive a substantial or moderate benefit. 

Under ACA §1001, all of the recommended services receiving grades of "A" or "B" must be provided without cost-sharing when delivered by an in-network health insurance provider in the plan years (or, in the individual market, policy years) that begin on or after September 23, 2010. Because the final recommendation on screening children and adolescents for high blood pressure received an "I" rating, the screenings will not be required to be covered without cost-sharing under the ACA.

Read the final recommendation statement at: uspreventiservicestaskforce.org