Online Program

Oral

Five years after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law, the impact of health reform for women is becoming clearer. More than 6 million women have gained private health coverage through ACA marketplaces, with millions more have been covered through Medicaid expansion. Young adult women are able to stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26. For women, the ACA has meant the end of gender-rating (charging women more than men for the same insurance policy) and denials of coverage for pre-existing conditions, as well as guaranteed coverage of maternity care and women’s preventive services (such as contraception, and STI testing) without co-pays. However, there are still an estimated 2 million low-income women (a majority of whom are women of color) who remain uninsured because they have fallen into an ACA coverage gap created by their states’ refusal to expand Medicaid. Moreover, for many newly insured women, the coverage they have gained can be confusing to use and may have high deductibles and/or tiered copays that discourage them from getting the care they need. Narrow provider networks have left some of these new enrollees without sufficient access to women’s health providers and specialists. Young adult women covered as dependents on family health policies have been struggling with confidentiality issues when they want to use “sensitive services,” such as abortion and STI/HIV testing and treatment. Women seeking to use the private insurance for family care have faced denials of coverage for specific methods and additional fees for exams and follow-up. This session addresses these gaps and provides examples of how alliances of reproductive justice, consumer health and grassroots organizations have successfully campaigned to close some of these gaps in several states, and have built power in conservative states in the South. Presentations will specifically address contraceptive coverage, Medicaid expansion, privacy protections, adoption of the Basic Health Program, and continuation of coverage when women become pregnant.

Session Objectives: Discuss gaps in coverage available through the Affordable Care Act. Explain policies that would close coverage gaps. Identify strategies that have successfully closed existing gaps in coverage.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)