by Talia Lepson, Vice-Chair of CDM Women’s Caucus
On June 25, the Supreme Court ruled in King v. Burwell that individuals living in states that opted not to build their own exchanges are eligible for health insurance subsidies under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (colloquially known by much of America as Obamacare). The ACA, which the Department of Health and Human Services reported has insured roughly 16.4 million Americans since 2013, allows states to set up their own health insurance exchanges or participate in the federally run exchange program. 34 states currently rely on the federal exchange, as they opted out of creating state exchanges, and could have lost health insurance subsidies if the Supreme Court ruled in favor of King. Without subsidies, private insurance would have become unaffordable for millions of Americans previously enrolled in the federal exchange. In other words, 6.4 million Americans can keep their health insurance and the ACA is here to stay—yay!
Healthcare is beneficial to everyone, but here are the 7 ways Obamacare specifically benefits women:
1. Women can no longer be denied insurance for gender-related reasons
Unfortunately, it was common for insurance companies to refuse coverage to women because of gender-based “pre-existing conditions,” such as a cesarean section or being a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. Thankfully, this practice was made illegal under Obamacare.
2. Women are no longer charged more for their insurance because of their gender
Under a practice known as “gender rating,” insurers could charge women higher premiums than men for identical healthcare benefits. As a result, women pay $1 billion more than men each year for the same health plans in the individual market. This practice is now illegal under the ACA in all new individual and small group plans.
3. Benefits are readily available for women in marginalized communities
Women of color, lesbian and bisexual women and transgender women are disproportionately uninsured and are also subject to higher rates of health disparities. Obamacare is making critical strides to combat these issues by providing women in marginalized communities with quality healthcare through increased access to insurance coverage, additional funding for community health centers, prohibiting discrimination in the health insurance market and more.
4. 47 million women have access to guaranteed preventive women’s health services
Many of Obamacare’s women’s health services were not previously covered under private insurance plans or were only offered to women via co-pays or deductibles. New services under the ACA include gestational diabetes screening (which helps protect women from one of the most serious pregnancy related diseases), domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling, FDA-approved contraceptive methods, contraceptive education and counseling, breastfeeding support, HPV DNA testing, mammograms, colonoscopies and more.
5. Insurance companies can no longer place limits on the amount of money they will spend on covered medical expenses
Roughly 39.5 million women have already benefited from the ban on lifetime caps. Women are more likely than men to suffer from a chronic medical condition. An unforeseen medical emergency or a chronic illness can cause a person to quickly reach a coverage cap in their insurance plan. Insurance caps leave these people to fend for themselves, often with thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills. Under the ACA, lifetime coverage caps have been eliminated.
6. Maternity care is now required in all new insurance plans
Coverage for maternity care is routinely excluded in the individual insurance market. Only 12 percent of plans sold in the individual market offer maternity coverage. Under Obamacare, roughly 8.7 million women have guaranteed access to maternity care.
7. Health insurance coverage for children gives peace of mind to mothers
The ACA prohibits insurers from denying healthcare coverage to children under the age of 19 due to pre-existing conditions. Adult children are also able to stay on a parent’s plan up to age 26. In a recovering economy where finding a job with benefits can be challenging, this provision is extremely helpful to mothers across the United States.
Folks here know that I support the ACA (at least as a small step towards government-sponsored single-payer health care).
Having said that, this piece as written is self-contradictory in at least one significant aspect. Here are the first two benefits cited by the thread-starter:
So far, so good. Here’s the rub (emphasis mine).
Let’s see an instant replay on that last error:
Women are more likely than men to suffer from a chronic medical condition.
This piece, as it stands, hands the anti-Obamacare GOP an attack line and even provides quotable quotes from “actual Democrats”.
If actuarial data demonstrates that women are more likely than men to suffer from a chronic medical condition, then the prohibition of a lifetime cap in the context of items (1) and (2) sounds to me like a government “taking” from the insurers.
Bullets (1) and (2) are indefensible in the context of bullet (5): If actuarial data demonstrates that ANY subscriber pool is more expensive, then arbitrary government limits amount to government manipulation of the industry. The issue with (1) and (2) is an issue with the concept of HEALTH INSURANCE itself — such limits only compound the problem.
I fear that proud political crowing like this accomplishes little except inviting a backlash. The combination of (1), (2) and (5) are, to me, at least weaknesses (if not fatal flaws) in Obamacare. When we replace Obamacare with government-sponsored single-payer health care, this dissonance will be an important part of the driver.
I think if (1) and (2) are to be promoted, then our team should let the other guys talk about item (5) — and we should begin waving our hands at the speed of light when and if they do.
I for one WANT 1 and 2 in place to prevent insurers from using 5 as an excuse. If that means insurers end up spending more on women my response is that’s life. Of course the more libertarian-minded could argue that any such regulations amount to government manipulation and “taking”, but there’s a reason I’m not a libertarian.
Don’t women pay less for life insurance (statistically they live longer), is that discriminatory towards men?