May 12th through May 18th is National Women’s Health Week. And it’s a good time to clarify how the Affordable Care Act impacts women.
The majority of Americans say they still don’t have enough information to understand how the ACA will affect them, according to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. For women of all ages, the ACA will provide unprecedented access to free preventative care.
Here’s a few services for women covered under the Affordable Care Act:
- Well-Woman Visit: The new preventative care measure provides adults with an annual well-woman visit to obtain the recommended preventative services. If the doctor determines more visits are necessary, those may also be covered.
- Contraception: All FDA approved contraceptive methods will be covered.
- Domestic Violence Care: Both screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence will be provided for adolescents and adult women. According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, there has been a relatively steady increase in family violence incidents over the last 10 years.
- HPV Testing: Access to high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing will be available to women 30 or older every three years, regardless of Pap smear results. Early HPV detection can reduce chances of cervical cancer.
See a full list of preventive services for women.
Starting October 1st, when the online health insurance marketplace opens to the public, women will also be able to choose from a variety of private health plans. Angela Georgenti is the regional coordinator for the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. She says there will be options for women, uninsured or not, “that cover essential care including hospitalization, outpatient visits, maternity and newborn care.”
To learn more about the health insurance marketplace, check out healthcare.gov's website.
