Health Care Reform

Has cost ever kept you or a family member from getting preventive care? Has it forced you to make tough choices, like delaying a health screening despite family history or putting off paying a bill so you can afford to see a doctor? We also would like to hear about any success stories! Have you received a benefit with no co-pay? Whatever it is, we want to hear from you!

The IOM released its findings on July 19, 2011, recommending coverage and no cost-sharing for a range of important women's preventive health services including screening for cervical cancer; critical health services for pregnant women, including breastfeeding support; screening for intimate partner violence; and all FDA-approved forms of contraception.3 HHS adopted the IOM's recommendations on August 1, 2011. Unfortunately, HHS has included in its Interim Final Rules (IFR) a provision that would allow certain religious employers to exclude contraceptive services from their employees' health plans. Rather than giving all women true contraceptive access, the exemption arbitrarily precludes certain women from receiving needed preventive care. Women who work for employers who invoke an exemption will not receive the intended benefits, and will be required to pay for what the IOM and HHS itself have determined should be available with no co-pay.