Posted on October 22, 2012 |
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a fitting time for women to think about how aware we are of our health, the choices and challenges we face, and the options out there that help keep us healthy.
With medical advancements and increasing public awareness, we’ve come a long way in preventing and treating breast cancer, but it remains a devastating disease – breast cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death for women in this country.
Changes to our health care system are making it easier for women to access important preventive services and treatment for serious health issues like breast cancer. The new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, removes financial barriers to screening mammograms in both Medicare and new health insurance plans, making them available to millions of women with no cost-sharing requirement.
Last year, more than 6 million women got mammograms without co-pays through Medicare.
The Affordable Care Act makes other critical preventive services available to many women with no out-of-pocket costs. As of August 1, 2012, new plans are required to provide certain women’s preventive services without cost sharing as they enter their next coverage year. Read more »
