--- title: What Women Need to Know About Health Care Reform and Insurance Coverage date: 2013-05-24T19:42:19-04:00 author: OBOS Admin canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/what-women-need-to-know-about-health-care-reform-and-insurance-coverage" section: Blog (Archive) --- [Donate](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/donate) [From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# What Women Need to Know About Health Care Reform and Insurance Coverage By Rachel Walden • May 24, 2013 Please note: This entry -- originally posted at [Our Bodies, Our Blog](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog) -- has not been updated since the publication date listed above. In the Spring issue of Ms. magazine, Cindy Pearson, executive director of the [National Women's Health Network](http://nwhn.org/), outlines [10 Things Women Need To Know About Health Reform](http://www.msmagazine.com/spring2013/wevegotyoucovered.asp). Some final provisions of the Affordable Care Act are set to take effect in January 2014; Pearson explains how these affect women's access to coverage, including protections against higher insurance costs for women. For example, midwives and birth centers can now be covered by Medicaid, and Pearson provides important details on preventive health services now covered for women: > All insurers now have to cover well-woman exams (thanks to the lobbying efforts of women senators such as Barbara Mikulski), contraception and breastfeeding (even the expensive stuff such as IUDs and breast pumps), cancer screening such as mammograms and Pap smears, domestic-violence screening and STI counseling. If you're working for Catholic Charities or a religiously affiliated hospital, however, don't bother asking your HR department about any of this: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a work-around so that the bishops don't have anything to do with your contraceptive coverage. The print article includes a sidebar (inadvertently left out of the online article) on the not-so-good news: the limitations of the ACA for immigrants and Native Americans, and the political struggles over Medicaid expansion. Check out the full print article for this information and more on enrolling for health coverage, the effects of the ACA on LGBT families, and other issues. **Want more details on health reform and women's health?** Kaiser Family Foundation has published a comprehensive [fact sheet on women's health insurance coverage](http://kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/womens-health-insurance-coverage-fact-sheet/ "Women’s Health Insurance Coverage: Fact Sheet") and an [issue brief on Medicaid's role](http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/7213-04.pdf "On Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act; it's a PDF") for women across the lifespan. Plus, you can [take this quiz to test your knowledge on women's health coverage](http://kff.org/quiz/womens-health-quiz-health-coverage-and-the-affordable-care-act/ "Women’s Health Quiz: Health Coverage and the Affordable Care Act"). Over at the National Partnership for Women and Families, you'll find [10 Reasons the Affordable Care Act is Good for Moms](http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Ten_Reasons_the_Affordable_Care_Act_is_Good_for_Moms_Fac.pdf?docID=12701 "Ten Reasons the Affordable Care Act is Good for Moms") -- a look at how mothers and mothers-to-be, as well as sisters, daughters, grandmothers and aunts, are getting better access to quality, affordable health care -- and a [state-by-state analysis](http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageNavigator/issues_health_medicarematters_map.html "Why Medicare Matters to Women") of how Medicare benefits women. Below, nurses provide a quick, clear explanation of the Affordable Care Act. --- #### 1 Response Our Bodies Ourselves is no longer able to accept comments. **Maya** on Jun 03, 2013 Good to know about these Affordable Care Act reforms. I took the quiz to test my knowledge on Women's Health Coverage and got 8/10. Should have gotten a better score. ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)Topics - [Healthcare System](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/healthcare-system) - [Public Policy](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/public-policy) ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)### *Why You Can* **Trust Us** - We rigorously evaluate all content - We embrace a reproductive justice framework - We don’t accept ads or sell products - We reject funding from the pharmaceutical industry - We counter misinformation and disinformation - We address the social, political, and economic factors that affect health and sexuality [read more](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/why-you-can-trust-us) Share [](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)