A Medicare tour bus and Medicare representatives drove through Casper Thursday visiting with local health officials and encouraging beneficiaries to take advantage of the preventative services Medicare now covers.

Medicare has shifted its focus from disease management to prevention. The tour bus is visiting the 48 continental states as part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "A Healthier US Starts Here" initiative.

Wyoming is the 40th state Medicare has visited this spring and summer. The bus was in Laramie and Cheyenne Wednesday.

"Prevention is a priority for the federal government," said Dr. Zachary Taylor, a regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "This bus symbolizes that priority."

Diane Livesay, acting deputy regional administrator for CMS, spoke at a presentation at the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming Thursday morning. She said people need to take care of themselves by getting flu shots, physical exams and cardiovascular screenings.

When Livesay began working for Medicare more than 20 years ago, the program did not pay for any preventative services.

"We waited until people got sick," Livesay said.

Now, Medicare covers flu shots, colonoscopies, a physical exam, diabetes screening and training, pap smears, mammograms and prostate screenings.

In recent years Medicare has added more preventative services to its coverage including smoking cessation, bone mass measurements to look for osteoporosis and nutritional therapy services. Livesay said she believed Medicare would continue to add other services.

Medicare beneficiaries can receive these services at no cost or for a small fee, she said.

"There are a lot of beneficiaries not taking advantage of this," Livesay said. "We still have less than 50 percent of people over 60 getting colonoscopies."

Dr. Christopher Snyder, medical director of the community health center, stressed the importance of prevention at the presentation. He said more than one third of the health center's patients are living with a chronic disease such as diabetes or heart disease.

"We have seen the crippling effects of these diseases whether it is people losing their sight or losing their jobs," Snyder said.

He said the Casper health center is one of the largest safety net facilities in the state and it has a duty to ensure that people, even those without insurance, receive appropriate, timely care.

Even though the health center has reduced health care disparities and serves tens of thousands of patients every year, Snyder said the efforts are not enough. There are still people in the community who do not receive the medical care they need, he said.

"Everyone should have a health care home," Snyder said. "Let's not deny them access to that care."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@casperstartribune.net.