As of August 1, 2012, the Affordable Care Act requires all health insurance plans to cover women’s preventative care without a co-payment or cost-sharing requirement. This means that women who have health insurance can get the care they need at a much more affordable price.
August 1, 2012, is seen by many as a day of celebration for American women, and their families. This is because the Affordable Care Act now requires all health insurance plans to cover women’s preventative care without charging women a co-pay or deductible in order to receive these types of health care.
This is the difference between a woman going without the health care she requires due to cost, and the woman being able to afford the health care she needs. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, this will help 47 million American women.
The new prevention-related services include well-women visits, and gestational diabetes screening that helps protect pregnant women. It also includes domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling, and all FDA approved contraceptive methods (as well as contraceptive education and counseling).
Breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling are also covered. So is HPV DNA testing for women age 30 and older, sexually transmitted infections counseling for sexually-active women, and HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women.
Women who purchase a new health insurance plan after August 1, 2012, will get a policy that covers the above preventative care. Women who are currently covered by a health insurance plan may need to wait a while before these benefits begin, (depending on what state the woman lives in). As of August 1, 2012, existing health plans will be required to cover women’s preventative health services at the beginning of their plan year.
I live in California, where there is a state law that requires all health insurance plans to cover women’s preventative services. This means that my health insurance automatically started covering this type of health care on August 1, 2012, (even though my health insurance policy was purchased before that date). If you don’t live in California, you might want to contact your insurance company to see when these benefits will be included in your health plan.
What if your health insurance is through Medicare or Medicaid, and not a private plan? Women using public health insurance plans will also receive the additional preventative health care benefits. This law is required to be followed by both private and public health plans. Women who do not currently have health insurance coverage won’t see these benefits until they are covered by a health plan.
Image by Sarah C on Flickr