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Thousands rejoiced yesterday as the Supreme Court announced the decision to uphold most of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.. Altogether the uninsured spend about $2.64 billion out of pocket every year, an amount that should decrease with the ACA. Not to mention that as many as 10.3 low income citizens will now be covered by Medicaid in 2014 once the ACA is fully implemented. Women will particularly benefit from the Supreme Court’s big decision, of the millions uninsured, Forbes reports that 19 million are women. Take a look at some of the victories in health care coverage below:
Unfair practices such as labeling sexual abuse and assault a “preexisting condition” or giving women that label who have had a previous Caesarean section birth will end.
Gender rating is now erased. This practice costs women nearly $1 billion each year. Gender rating is the practice of charging women more simply because they’re women. Of the states that still continue this practice, the National Women’s Law Center observes that 90 percent of the best selling plans charge women more than men, although only three percent of these plans cover maternity services. One third of the plans that exclude maternity care, charge women 30 percent more than men for the same coverage. There’s even a plan that charges 25-year-old women 85 percent more. When the ACA is fully implemented in 2014, this practice will be rendered illegal.
Because of gender rating and other practices, without the ACA, Forbes reports that premium rates would most likely have greatly increased. The RAND Corporation predicted this rise would be by 9.3 percent while the Urban Institute predicted a rise of 10 percent. The average cost of this premium rise is estimated at $534. That’s another expensive cost women can happily now avoid.
Under the ACA, maternity care is now a required coverage area. In addition, nursing mothers will be able to enjoy mandated breaks. For nursing mothers working in an office with 50 or more employees, they will now enjoy a private place for nursing.
With all of these benefits and more now secured, if you didn’t take time to do a victory shout yesterday, take the time now to express your happiness.
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