"Free" screening? Know your rights to get no-cost care

An ounce of prevention ... well, you know the rest. In medicine, prevention aims to spot problems before they worsen, affecting both a patient's health and finances.

One of the more popular parts of the Affordable Care Act, which allows patients to get certain tests or treatments without forking out cash to cover copayments or deductibles, is based on that idea.

"There are still some gaps that need to be filled," said Katie Keith, a researcher at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. But, she said, the law "unquestionably" made preventive care more affordable.