New legislation passed by Colorado lawmakers takes aim at making preventive care more affordable.

The law, which took effect Friday, assures that services such as screenings for breast and cervical cancer, cholesterol levels and colorectal cancer; childhood immunizations and flu vaccines; and programs to help manage alcohol misuse and quit smoking are available at low cost to clients, even when the insured have not met their deductibles.

Focusing on preventive care is a key component of any effort to reduce health care costs. Spotting troubling medical condition early makes them far more affordable to treat, and for Colorado, a state where cardiovascular disease are the number one killer, this type of effort holds significant potential to improve the general health of the population.