Health plans failing to cover women’s health
By Julie Rovner, NPR
Many women were thrilled when the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, because it required insurance companies to cover a broad array of women’s health services without any out-of-pocket costs.
Five years later, however, the requirement isn’t being enforced, according to two studies. Health insurance plans around the country are failing to provide many of those legally-mandated services including birth control and cancer screenings.
The studies by the National Women’s Law Center looked at health plan coverage documents and consumer complaints in 15 states. One of the studies focused on contraception, while the other looked at a range of women’s health issues, including maternity care, breast-feeding support and other services.