Republicans complain about “free” label put on preventive services

Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee sent a letter last week to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius complaining about the Obama Administration referring to preventive services mandated by health care reform as “free” to people using them. The senators wrote that they support preventive care, but pointed out that calling them “free” is misleading. Even though there are no co-pays, people end up paying for these health care services indirectly through taxes and insurance premiums, the letter said.