Yesterday, the preventive health services portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Obamacare, went into effect. The PPACA states that birth control is in fact a preventive health service, therefore requiring insurance companies to cover it without co-pays or deductibles.
This means birth control with no co-pays y’all! This is a significant milestone for women across the country in gaining access to well-woman preventative health services. This will go into effect when you get on a new insurance plan or when your plan is renewed. If you plan to use the health insurance provided by your college or university, then this will most likely go into effect for you as soon as you begin school!
So, what services are covered? Well, beyond birth control there are a lot of great things covered that will help us stay healthy – like breast exams, pap smears, and HIV and STI testing. College women no longer have the burden of deciding between books and birth control, or paying for an extra class and getting an STI test. As expensive as college is today for students, having one less financial burden can make a huge difference.
Call your insurance company to find out when this will go into effect for you and find out whats covered. (In some instances, for example, only the generic form of birth control may be covered.) Check out our blog post here for more details about who and what is covered under the ACA’s preventative health care package.
In the meantime, celebrate this great milestone for young women by spreading the word about the preventive health services now available to us under Obamacare!
Photo via Choice USA.
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