Preventive care includes regular health check-ups, screenings to help your doctor find problems early, and counseling services to detect illnesses, diseases, or medical conditions before they cause problems.
Regular check-ups help you or your child’s doctor look for any problems. Problems can include medical, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, and any substance (alcohol or drug) use disorders.
L.A. Care covers check-ups to screen for problems (including blood lead level assessment) any time there is a need for them, even if it is not during your or your child’s regular check-up.
Preventive care also includes immunizations (shots) you or your child need. L.A. Care must make sure that all enrolled children are up to date with all the immunizations (shots) they need when they have their visits with their doctor
Preventive care services and screenings are available for free and without pre-approval (prior authorization).
Your child should get check-ups at these ages:
- 2-4 days after birth
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- Once a year from 3 to 20 years old
Well-child health check-ups include:
- A complete history and head-to-toe physical exam
- Age-appropriate immunizations (shots) (California follows the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures schedule)
- Lab tests, including blood lead poisoning testing
- Health education
- Vision and hearing screening
- Oral health screening
- Behavioral health assessment
If the doctor finds a problem with your or your child’s physical or mental health during a check-up or screening, you or your child might need to get medical care. L.A. Care will cover that care for free, including:
- Doctor, nurse practitioner and hospital care
- Immunizations (shots) to keep you healthy
- Physical, speech/language and occupational therapies
- Home health services, including medical equipment, supplies and appliances
- Treatment for vision problems, including eyeglasses
- Treatment for hearing problems, including hearing aids when they are not covered by CCS
- Behavioral Health Treatment for health conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, and other developmental disabilities
- Case management and health education
- Reconstructive surgery, which is surgery to correct or repair abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors or disease to improve function or create a normal appearance