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"  Last week, we clued you in on some ground-breaking news: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was considering a recommendation to make birth control and other women&amp;#039;s health services free for all women covered under private insurance plans. In other words, no more $5-$50 (or more) copay or deductible each time you go for your annual gyno visit or pick up another monthly supply of birth control pills. Well today we&amp;#039;re really cheering, because we just got word that HHS officials decided to go with it. Starting August 1, 2012, you&amp;#039;ll no longer have to shell out anything (outside of your premium, that is) to get important preventative care. It&amp;#039;s part of the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping overhaul of health care signed by President Obama in 2010. Besides your yearly gyno checkup (and things that are a standard part of that visit, such as a breast exam, Pap test, and in some cases STD tests), the new guidelines will cover a host of potentially lifesaving services:  \u2022 HPV testing for women over 30 \u2022 STD counseling \u2022 HIV testing \u2022 Domestic violence screenings \u2022 Breast-feeding support and diabetes screening for pregnant women \u2022 All FDA-approved contraceptives you get from your doctor or via a prescription\u2014including birth control pills, IUD, the ring, even emergency contraception, a.k.a. the morning after pill. (Condoms have been left off the list, since you don&amp;#039;t need an Rx to get these.) Why is the HHS singling out women&amp;#039;s health? &amp;quot;Women need to use more preventative services than men . . . and they&amp;#039;re more likely than men to forgo preventative services because of cost,&amp;quot; said Howard Koh, M.D., assistant secretary for health at the HSS. Research showed that women, who bear the brunt of STDs and birth control issues, often had a hard time affording out-of-pocket fees. One 2009 report found that more than half of women delayed or avoided preventative care because of cost, and other studies show that even moderate copayment reduces the likelihood that women will see her gyno or health care provider.  This is a big deal because if you skip out on preventative care, you&amp;#039;re at risk of developing something serious that could have been caught and/or cured early, like cervical cancer, or experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Do you plan to go to your gyno more often now that an office visit and other services won&amp;#039;t drain your pocketbook?  Do you applaud HHS officials for making it easier for women to deal with health issues men don&amp;#039;t have to worry about, like prescription birth control and cervical cancer prevention? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a9543/free-birth-control-obama-affordable-care-act-080111/?src=global_footer>