Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst

If you’ve been following the news or reading our blog, you know there are vocal opponents to the new health care law and they’ve been getting a lot of attention lately. With all of this press, it can be easy to lose sight of how necessary this law is and how many Americans it will help. Once fully implemented, the Affordable Care Act will expand health coverage to 32 million Americans.

“Can we collect your co-payment now, Ms. Garrett?” This is a standard question at a lot of doctor’s appointments and many of us don’t think twice about it, but for many women, cost sharing can be a deterrent to seeking the health care they need. This is true even of preventive services such as cancer screenings and cholesterol tests that can keep us healthy and save us money in the long run.