Blogs :: Insurance companies cannot require co-pays for birth control

The government recently released new suggestions concerning women's contraception included in health care reform legislation. No co-pays whatsoever could be charged for birth control by insurance companies, though with specific exceptions. Though there will be exceptions, no woman with health insurance will have to pay any money for contraception pills. She will not even require personnel loans to avoid pregnancy.

Not a financial stress to get contraception

Part of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reforms laws which are often referred to pejoratively as "Obamacare," gave the government authority to regulate what health care insurance corporations could charge their customers in co-pays for contraception medication. Recently, new guidelines were released by the Obama administration, as reported by the New York Times. This is about the co-pay contraception charges. The decision was made by the Department of Health and Human Services. It got the authority to create policies such as this. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, after receiving recommendations from the NAS, has just released the brand new tips. As of January 1, 2013, no insurance business can ask for co-pay or reimbursement of any kind for birth control medications.

Women's healthcare a serious focus

As part of the Affordable Care Act, women are focused on. Preventative care particularly has been focused on. The brand new suggestions involves mammograms, DNA screening for the human papillomavirus as part of testing for cervical cancer, prenatal exams and, according to WebMD, sexual transmitted disease tests including tests for HIV and AIDS and medical tests for domestic abuse. Medical care will have to cover every one of these preventative procedures all the way as soon as the law starts in 2013. Women with health insurance won't have to worry about these exams. Insurance plans starting on or after August 1, 2012 will even have to follow the guidelines. This is the expected date of compliance. All Food and Narcotic Administration-approved contraceptives will be covered including the "morning after pill," though religious organizations offering health insurance to employees can opt out of covering contraceptives via a religious exemption clause. Co-pay will be charged by insurance businesses if the patient wants a different birth control than the one offered. Any brand-name birth control does not have to be covered.

Years of losses ahead of us

The health care industry is not sitting fairly right now. It will lose a lot in the brand new few years. The pharmaceutical industry is ready and preparing for several of probably the most profitable narcotics to be lost because of ending patents on top of insurance businesses having to cover all contraception. There will be 13,000 employees laid off when Singulair loses its patent at Merck, according to BNET, as it makes about $1.3 billion a quarter off of the asthma drug Singulair. Pfizer is set to lose the patent on Lipitor, the single most best-selling drug in the world, in Nov of this year, according to ABC. On its own, that narcotic makes $11 billion a year.

Information from

New York Times,

WebMD,

BNET,

ABC