--- title: "What's in the New Health Care Law for Women? Well-Woman Visits That Can Improve Your Health" date: 2012-07-26T17:17:01-04:00 author: OBOS Admin canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/whats-in-the-new-health-care-law-for-women-well-woman-visits-that-can-improve-your-health" section: Blog (Archive) --- [Donate](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/donate) [From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# What's in the New Health Care Law for Women? Well-Woman Visits That Can Improve Your Health By Our Bodies Ourselves • July 26, 2012 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. [![What's in it for women?](https://assets.ourbodiesourselves.org/images/blog-archive/wiifw.png "What's in the new health care law for women?")](http://countdowntocoverage.org/) *[Countdown to Coverage](http://countdowntocoverage.org/ "Countdown to Coverage") is a campaign to help women understand the concrete ways that the Affordable Care Act can improve our health. This blog entry is the first in a series designed to answer the question, [What's in it for women?](http://countdowntocoverage.org/whats-in-it-for-women/ "What's in the new health care law for women?")* **by Leana S. Wen, MD** As an emergency physician, I tend to work on the other side of preventive care services. I see what happens when women *don’t* know about safer sex and birth control, and end up with complications from sexually transmitted infections. I see what happens when women *do not* get routine screening for cervical cancer and struggle with life-threatening cancer. I see what happens with out-of-control hypertension and diabetes, and the heart attacks and strokes that are detected far too late. These experiences have shown me that prevention is the best medicine. That’s one big reason why the Affordable Care Act provision requiring new insurance plans to [cover women’s preventive care without any extra charges or co-pays](http://countdowntocoverage.org/storage/countdown-resources/CtC%20checklist%20-%20Affordable%20Prevention%20Care%20-%20FINAL.pdf "Coverage Checklist: Preventive Health Care for Women") is a real victory for women. These requirements, which go into effect Aug. 1, will be phased into existing insurance plans over time. Because of this change, women will be able to obtain complete contraceptive care, screening for sexually transmitted infections, and screening and counseling for intimate partner violence. This builds upon earlier requirements that insurance companies cover -- at no additional cost to women -- mammograms and screenings for cervical cancer. It’s clear to me that these mandates will significantly improve women’s health and lives and ultimately lead to a reduction in health care costs. **The Well-Woman Visit** One of the easiest ways to obtain preventive services is through a well-woman visit. These visits, which will soon be covered with no co-pay, give you the opportunity to ask key questions about birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and other reproductive issues, along with questions about diet and exercise and any health concerns you may have. You can also discuss changes in your family's medical history that are important for your health care provider to consider. For example, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, my doctor recommended that I get earlier screenings. Along these same lines, your health care provider may have questions or issues to discuss with you. Smoking, drinking and recreational drug use can create and contribute to health problems, and often need to be discussed and addressed multiple times before change happens. Well-women visits also give your health care provider a chance to screen for potential high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, domestic violence, and more. The well-woman visit is important for another reason: It gives you and your health care provider a chance to get to know each other. Most people go to their provider or to a clinic only when there’s a problem, but the best time to get to know your provider isn't when you’re in distress from a painful or troublesome condition. Studies have shown that health care providers make more accurate diagnoses when they know their patients and can put the symptoms in the context of your life. A well-woman visit is a precious opportunity to build this trusted relationship. As an emergency physician, I am excited about the new provisions taking effect Aug. 1, which include annual well-women visits for those who want them. I would much rather women regularly visit their health care providers than come to the E.R. later suffering from preventable problems. So please take this opportunity and make an appointment with your provider. The importance of investing in your health is too crucial to ignore. ***Plus:** Want to learn more about the Affordable Care Act? These [resources from Countdown to Coverage](http://countdowntocoverage.org/countdown-to-coverage-resource/ "Countdown to Coverage resources") provide detailed information about coverage for women, including specific information for LGBT people, women of color, young women, older women, moms and families, and more.* *=== Leana S. Wen, M.D., is an emergency physician at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital and a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of a forthcoming book on patient advocacy, "When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests." For more information, visit her blog [When Doctors Don’t Listen](http://www.whendoctorsdontlisten.com/) or her [website](http://www.drleanawen.com/). You can also follow her on Twitter [@DrLeanaWen](https://twitter.com/drleanawen).* --- #### 0 Response Our Bodies Ourselves is no longer able to accept comments. ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)Topics - [Birth Control & Family Planning](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/birth-control-family-planning) - [Healthcare System](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/healthcare-system) - [Public Policy](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/public-policy) - [STIs](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/stis) ![](/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();)