The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought about monumental changes in the American healthcare system. Among those changes were several key improvements in women’s healthcare coverage. The ACA made strides in offering comprehensive services for women, addressing gender pricing disparities, and ensuring coverage for maternity care. Let’s break down these benefits and how they impact women’s health.
Essential Health Benefits and Women’s Health
The ACA mandates that all health insurance plans cover ten Essential Health Benefits (EHBs). These benefits include several services critical to women’s health, such as preventative and wellness services, maternity and newborn care, and prescription drugs.
Under the ACA, preventive services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, and certain types of contraception must be covered without charging a co-payment or coinsurance. This emphasis on preventive care enables women to access necessary screenings and services that aid in early detection and management of various health conditions.
Maternity and Newborn Care
Before the ACA, maternity care was often not included in individual market health plans, meaning many women were left to bear the high costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and newborn care. The ACA changed this by making maternity and newborn care a requirement in all health insurance plans. This means that services such as pre- and post-natal doctor visits, gestational diabetes screening, lactation support and counseling, and pediatric care for newborns are now covered.
Ending Gender Pricing Disparities
Before the ACA, it was commonplace for health insurance companies to practice “gender rating,” where women were often charged more for health coverage simply because of their gender. The ACA banned this practice, ensuring that women cannot be charged more than men for the same health coverage. This represents a significant step toward gender equality in healthcare.
Guaranteed Coverage for Women’s Health Services
The ACA also guarantees coverage for a set of women’s preventive services without any cost-sharing requirements. These include well-woman visits, domestic violence screening and counseling, FDA-approved contraceptive methods, and breastfeeding support and counseling.
The ACA has significantly influenced women’s health by expanding coverage, ensuring access to essential services, and promoting gender pricing equality. While there is always more work to be done in advancing women’s health, the ACA has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation. Women can now access a broader range of services, receive necessary preventive care, and enjoy equal cost coverage, enhancing their overall health and wellbeing. By understanding these benefits, women can take full advantage of what the ACA offers.