Beginning today, up to 47 million women may be eligible to get free access to preventive health care services as that provision of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act goes into effect.

Under the new provision that goes into effect August 1, 2012, women will be eligible to receive the following eight services without paying a co-pay:

• Well-woman visits, including an annual check-up for adult women to get recommended preventive services, and additional visits if women and their doctors determine them necessary.
• Contraception and contraceptive counseling: Women will have free access to all FDA-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures and patient education and counseling without a co-pay. Most workers in employer-sponsored plans are currently covered for contraceptives.
• Gestational diabetes screening for women 24 to 28 weeks pregnant, and those at high risk of developing gestational diabetes. Women who have gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future and the children of women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of being overweight and insulin-resistant during childhood.
• HPV DNA testing every three years for women who are 30 or older, regardless of Pap smear results. HPV screening has been shown to help reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer.
• Annual sexually transmitted infections (STI) counseling for sexually-active women. Such sessions have been shown to reduce risky behavior in patients; only 28 percent of women aged 18-44 years reported that they had discussed STIs with a doctor or nurse, according to HHS.
• HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women. From 1999 to 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 15 percent increase in AIDS cases among women, and a 1 percent increase among men, suggesting an increased risk for women.
• Breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling for pregnant and postpartum women, including access to comprehensive lactation support and counseling from trained providers, as well as breastfeeding equipment.
• Interpersonal and domestic violence screening and counseling for all adolescent and adult women. An estimated 25 percent of U.S. women report being targets of intimate partner violence during their lifetimes and screening will lead to interventions to increase their safety.

Already covered under the law are other free preventive services for women recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of doctors that advise the government on treatment guidelines. These include mammograms every 1-2 years for women over 40, cervical cancer screenings and prenatal care.

Many uninsured women taking contraception will still have out-of-pocket costs since the new rules only apply to people currently enrolled in health insurance plans. When the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented more women are expected to get free access to preventive services.

Ask your insurance company when the new benefits will take effect for you.

Because these changes take effect at the beginning of a new insurance plan year, the requirement may go into effect later in the year for some people. The HHS estimates in a new report that 47 million women fall under such plans.

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According to the White House Office of the Press Secretary, the policy also ensures that if a woman works for a religious employer with objections to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, the religious employer will not be required to provide, pay for or refer for contraception coverage, but her insurance company will be required to directly offer her contraceptive care free of charge.

Many religious groups still are fighting the provision. CBSNews.com reported that Catholic organizations across the country have filed 12 lawsuits in 43 different courts.

How the Health Care Law is Making a Difference for the People of Louisiana

For too long, too many hardworking Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to insurance companies and put barriers between patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act gives hardworking families in Louisiana the security they deserve. The new health care law forces insurance companies to play by the rules, prohibiting them from dropping your coverage if you get sick, billing you into bankruptcy because of an annual or lifetime limit, or, soon, discriminating against anyone with a pre-existing condition.

All Americans will have the security of knowing that they don’t have to worry about losing coverage if they’re laid off or change jobs.  And insurance companies now have to cover your preventive care like mammograms and other cancer screenings.  The new law also makes a significant investment in State and community-based efforts that promote public health, prevent disease and protect against public health emergencies.

Health reform is already making a difference for the people of Louisiana by:

Strengthening partnerships with Louisiana

The law gives states support for their work to build the health care workforce, crack down on fraud, and support public health.  Examples of Affordable Care Act grants to Louisiana not outlined above include:

• $423,000 to support the National Health Service Corps, by assisting Louisiana in repaying educational loans of health care professionals in return for their practice in health professional shortage areas.
• $5.9 million for health professions workforce demonstration projects, which will help low income individuals receive training and enter health care professions that face shortages.
• $6.3 million for school-based health centers, to help clinics expand and provide more health care services such as screenings to students.
• $650,000 to support outreach to eligible Medicare beneficiaries about their benefits.
• $286,700 for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, organizations run by and for families with children with special health care needs.
• $10.3 million for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs. These programs bring health professionals to meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn - such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition.