Supreme Court Decision Upholding the Affordable Care Act Will Benefit Millions of Women
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Women Will Have Access to Birth Control Without Co-Pays Starting in August, Saving Up To $600 a Year
Chicago, IL — The U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act will have a “profound and concrete impact” on millions of people’s lives, Planned Parenthood of Illinois said today. Calling the Affordable Care Act “the greatest advance in women’s health in a generation,” Planned Parenthood of Illinois said the law will provide access to birth control and cancer screenings without co-pays, guaranteed direct access to OB/GYN providers without referrals, and an end to discriminatory practices against women, such as charging women higher premiums and denying coverage for “pre-existing conditions.”
“This decision will have a profound and concrete impact on millions of people’s lives. Affordable, quality health care will now be available to millions of women who had no coverage or inadequate coverage before. In Illinois alone, nearly 469,500 uninsured women will have access to health care. This is a victory for the American people, and we thank President Obama and the members of Congress who passed the Affordable Care Act for their leadership on this issue,” said Carole Brite, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
“At Planned Parenthood of Illinois, we know how important this law and this decision are for women and families, because we see the need for affordable health care every day. Nearly 50% of our patients live at or below the federal poverty level and struggle to pay for cancer screenings, birth control, and other health services. The Affordable Care Act will make essential health care available to all women across the country,” Brite said.
Specifically, Planned Parenthood of Illinois pointed to key benefits of the Affordable Care Act that will have an impact on millions of American’s lives:
• More than 45 million women nationwide have already received coverage for preventive health screenings at no cost since August 2010 thanks to the Affordable Care Act – including mammograms and Pap tests – and millions more will be able to get free screenings in the coming years.
• 3.1 million young adults nationwide have already been able to stay on their parents’ insurance because of the Affordable Care Act. In the next year, millions more who would have otherwise lost coverage will continue to be insured under their parents’ plan.
• Women are guaranteed direct access to OB/GYN providers without a referral, as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
• Starting in August, birth control will be treated like any other preventive prescription under the Affordable Care Act, and will be available without co-pays or deductibles.
As a result of the Affordable Care Act, 17 million women nationwide will be newly insured, including 469,469 women in Illinois.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ 17 health centers provide health care to more than 75,000 women, men, and teens every year. More than 90 percent of Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ health services are preventive, including cancer screenings, birth control, and STD testing and treatment.
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Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) provides affordably-priced, high-quality reproductive health care services to women and families throughout Illinois. Through health care services, educational programs and advocacy efforts, PPIL works to ensure and protect the reproductive rights of each individual. For more information, visit www.ppil.org.
Source
Planned Parenthood of Illinois
Contact
Lara Philipps
312.592.6820 (office)
312.622.6451 (cell)
Published
June 28, 2012