FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2012
Contact: Ashleigh Crocker
ashleigh@progressva.org
Beginning Today, 1,376,205 Virginia Women Access to Preventive Care With No Co-Pay, Thanks to Health Care Law
The Affordable Care Act Allows Virginia Women to Take Control of Their Health
[Charlottesville, Virginia] - In a momentous step forward, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebeluis today announced that--thanks to ObamaCare--1,376,205 women in Virginia will have access to free prevention-related health care services without paying out of their own pocket. This means that, beginning August 1, 2012, 47 million women nationwide can take greater control over their health by having access to life-saving preventive care free of charge.
For the first time ever, Virginia women will be granted access to potentially life-saving tests and services, without facing a huge bill when they're done.. No longer will women in Virginia be at the mercy of their insurance companies, but will instead be able to take control of their well-being and make decisions to keep them healthy, catch serious conditions at an earlier stage, and protect themselves and their families from enormous medical bills.
"Virginia women shouldn't have to forego critical care because they are worried about the cost," said Ashleigh Crocker, Communications and Outreach Director of Know Your Care, Virginia. "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act,, women now have access to vital preventive care measures that will go a long way towards keeping average Virginia families healthy."
As Secretary Sebelius put it, "President Obama is moving our country forward by giving women control over their health care. This law puts women and their doctors, not insurance companies or the government, in charge of health care decisions."
While some preventive care services were already mandated by the Affordable Care Act, the eight new preventative services required by the law include: well-woman visits, gestational diabetes screening that helps protect pregnant women from one of the most serious pregnancy-related diseases, domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling, FDA-approved contraceptive methods, and contraceptive education and counseling, breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling, HPV DNA testing for women 30 or older, sexually transmitted infections counseling for sexually-active women, and finally HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women.
Based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, these new provisions relied on physicians, nurses, scientists and other experts, as well as evidence-based research, to determine the services that are critical to ensuring women's long-term health. These vital preventative services will allow women to take their health into their own hands and get the care they need before it's too late.
Thanks to the ObamaCare, stable, affordable health care is becoming a reality for thousands of women and their families across Virginia and for millions of Americans nationwide.
To learn more about the health care services you may be eligible for at no extra charge under the Affordable Care Act, go to http://www.healthcare.gov/prevention
For information about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on the number of adult and adolescent women in Virginia eligible for the preventive services at no charge after Aug. 1, 2012, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/womensPreventiveServicesACA/ib.shtml
Virginia Women Access Preventative Care With No Co-Pay
August 1, 2012
Contact: Ashleigh Crocker
ashleigh@progressva.org
Beginning Today, 1,376,205 Virginia Women Access to Preventive Care With No Co-Pay, Thanks to Health Care Law
The Affordable Care Act Allows Virginia Women to Take Control of Their Health
[Charlottesville, Virginia] - In a momentous step forward, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebeluis today announced that--thanks to ObamaCare--1,376,205 women in Virginia will have access to free prevention-related health care services without paying out of their own pocket. This means that, beginning August 1, 2012, 47 million women nationwide can take greater control over their health by having access to life-saving preventive care free of charge.
For the first time ever, Virginia women will be granted access to potentially life-saving tests and services, without facing a huge bill when they're done.. No longer will women in Virginia be at the mercy of their insurance companies, but will instead be able to take control of their well-being and make decisions to keep them healthy, catch serious conditions at an earlier stage, and protect themselves and their families from enormous medical bills.
"Virginia women shouldn't have to forego critical care because they are worried about the cost," said Ashleigh Crocker, Communications and Outreach Director of Know Your Care, Virginia. "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act,, women now have access to vital preventive care measures that will go a long way towards keeping average Virginia families healthy."
As Secretary Sebelius put it, "President Obama is moving our country forward by giving women control over their health care. This law puts women and their doctors, not insurance companies or the government, in charge of health care decisions."
While some preventive care services were already mandated by the Affordable Care Act, the eight new preventative services required by the law include: well-woman visits, gestational diabetes screening that helps protect pregnant women from one of the most serious pregnancy-related diseases, domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling, FDA-approved contraceptive methods, and contraceptive education and counseling, breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling, HPV DNA testing for women 30 or older, sexually transmitted infections counseling for sexually-active women, and finally HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women.
Based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, these new provisions relied on physicians, nurses, scientists and other experts, as well as evidence-based research, to determine the services that are critical to ensuring women's long-term health. These vital preventative services will allow women to take their health into their own hands and get the care they need before it's too late.
Thanks to the ObamaCare, stable, affordable health care is becoming a reality for thousands of women and their families across Virginia and for millions of Americans nationwide.
To learn more about the health care services you may be eligible for at no extra charge under the Affordable Care Act, go to http://www.healthcare.gov/prevention
For information about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report on the number of adult and adolescent women in Virginia eligible for the preventive services at no charge after Aug. 1, 2012, see http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2012/womensPreventiveServicesACA/ib.shtml