Eight new preventative health services for women are now being covered under Obamacare as of August 1.__ As in, a lot of visits an services we used to have to pay for or co-pay for are now gratis.
Quick, everyone run out to the doctor's office and demand some free birth control! No, but seriously, what exactly does this mean for you?
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It means that it's going to be a WHOLE lot more affordable to make sure to get the preventative care that us lady folks so desperately need; like annual visits to the OBGYN, Pap smears, Domestic abuse counseling, STD testing, and HIV screening and counseling. Not to mention the fact that there are a few preventative measures that are a really big deal for new moms. Under the new health care law, mommies will get breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling for FREE and can also take advantage of gestational diabetes screening–a huge help for Latinas, who are at a much higher risk.
This new provision of the Affordable Health Care act just kicked in this week, so even though it does make accessing all the services listed above easier because we no longer have to cover a co-pay, you might still have to cut through some red tape to get the benefits you are guaranteed.
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My favorite part has to be the fact that from now on, FDA-approved contraceptive methods, education and counseling MUST be provided FREE of CHARGE! Can I get an AMEN?! Besides making conservatives lose their minds–because, of course, providing women with free birth control means we're going to go all Age of Aquarius and start having sex with any willing and able stranger we come across–it's also a really big plus for young women just starting out in their careers who maybe don't have the money to cover pricey birth control.
I mean, I have an IUD and I'm really lucky that I could afford to pay for the 30% NOT covered by my insurance company–but I remember how hard it used to be to cover $50 a month when I was in my 20s and on the pill, and making next to nothing. It was obviously a huge priority for me, but sometimes I did have to choose between going out with friends for dinner or paying for birth control. As a matter of fact, 52% of women have reported delaying their health care because of costs.
To learn more about what is covered right now and what will be coming in the future, visit healthcare.gov!
What do you think about this change in the healthcare law? Tell us in the comments below!
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