NWLC Applauds As Millions More Women Become Eligible For No Co-Pay Preventive Health Services

(Washington, D.C.) Beginning January 1st, millions more women are able to get the preventive health care they need with no out-of-pocket expense. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), all new health plans at the start of their new plan year, typically January 1st, are required to cover a set of important women’s preventive services with no co-pays or deductibles. According to the Congressional Research Service, over half of employer-sponsored health plans will be under the law’s reach at the start of 2013.

The ACA’s Women’s Preventive Services Act includes well-woman visits; all forms of FDA-approved birth control; breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling; screening for gestational diabetes; screening and counseling for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; and screening and counseling for domestic partner violence.

The following is a statement from National Women’s Law Center Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger:

“As new health care plans come under the reach of the Women’s Preventive Services Act, many more women will gain access to the essential care they need. New mothers will no longer have to forego counseling about nursing their babies because they can’t afford it. Women will no longer have to choose between the safest and most effective contraceptive method for them and one that may be less expensive. Other preventive health care, like HIV and domestic partner screening, will no longer be out of reach.

“Before the Affordable Care Act was signed, women and their families could be dropped from their insurance when they got sick. Their children could be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. Millions of women struggled to afford preventive care and routine health screenings. Now, that’s all history. Women will no longer have to choose between going to the doctor when they are sick and paying their rent or putting food on the table for their children. Because of the Affordable Care Act, more and more women and families are gaining meaningful and affordable access to health care every day.”

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For more information, visit: http://www.nwlc.org/resource/how-find-out-if-and-when-your-health-plan-will-begin-covering-women%E2%80%99s-preventive-services-n