The Affordable Care Act (ACA), nicknamed “Obamacare,” was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. Although the government shut down last week due to the House republicans trying to stall the bill, it will in fact come into law and affect all of us, especially women. Check out some positive benefits that women will get from the passage of the ACA!
1. Free Preventative Care
The Affordable Care Act demands that health plans cover women’s preventative health care such as mammograms, screenings for cervical cancer, prenatal care, and other services. It helps ensure that women receive a set of preventative services without having to pay a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible.
In addition, all contraceptives now have to be covered by insurers: and that includes birth control. All FDA approved contraceptives are fully covered with no co-payments either (major score)
2. Equal Charges for Men and Women
Some of you may not even know this, but in certain states it’s actually legal for health insurers to charge you more for women’s health insurance over men’s. They basically considered being a woman a pre-existing condition (see below) considering women typically need more medical attention. Since women are child-bearers they will need more medical attention during pregnancy, should they choose to have children, and the increased medical attention may also be attributed to their longevity considering women have longer life expectancy than men.
Now, you wont be charged more for health insurance just because you have a vagina and were born a woman (sorry?)
3. “Pre-existing Conditions” are Covered
In the past, some men and women have been turned down or refused coverage for health insurance plans because they have pre-existing health problems. Now, under the ACA you cannot be denied health insurance on the basis of being born with a health problem such as cancer or other diseases.
4. Guaranteed Maternity Coverage
In the individual insurance market, maternity care is often excluded because men do not need this coverage, and therefore prove to be cheaper clients. Once Obamacare is actually implemented in 2014, about 8.7 million women will have access to maternity coverage and care in the individual markets, which they did not have access to before.
5. Parents Plan
After graduating college, many students face the burden of student loans and other debts to pay off. With the current health plans, students may be kicked off their parents’ plans and have to pay for their own coverage or find a job that will pay for it. However, if your plan covers children, the ACA will make sure that you can stay on your parents’ insurance policy until they turn 26 (pretty sweet if you ask me). Children can still be on the plan even if they’re married, out of their parents’ house, still attending school, or if they’re not financially dependent on their parents.
In the end, Obamacare seems to have a lot of benefits for women, which isn’t surprising to me considering President Obama is always taking strides towards gender equality.
(WEBSITES USED)
http://www.hrsa.gov/womensguidelines/
http://www.care2.com/causes/affordable-care-act-puts-men-and-women-on-an-equal-playing-field.html
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/ACA&Women/rb.shtml