The new HHS rules accept IOM recommendations to cover contraception. screenings for domestic violence and 6 other services as preventive services for women (without additional co-pays) BUT allow religious institutions to determine coverage for contraception for employees.\u00a0 The call announced below for\u00a0Aug. 1\u00a0at 4:30 pm EDT\/1:30 PDT is still on. – Ellen Shaffer<\/p>\n
\u00a0Call to Discuss Important Affordable Care Act Announcement Affordable Care Act Ensures Women Receive Preventive Services at No Additional Cost HHS: IOM Recs OK, BUT Religious Exception. Call Aug. 1 Continue reading
\n<\/strong>Please join HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Tina Tchen, Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls and Mayra Alvarez, Director of Public Health Policy in the Office of Health Reform at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on a conference call to discuss an important Affordable Care Act announcement.
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\nWHO:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
\nTina Tchen, White House
\nMayra Alvarez, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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\nWHEN:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Monday, August 1, 2011 at 4:30p.m. ET \/ 1:30pm. PT
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\nDIAL IN:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 888-968-3518
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\nPASSCODE:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 HHS
\nNews Release
\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nAugust 1, 2011 Contact: HHS Press Office
\n(202) 690-6343<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Developed by the independent Institute of Medicine, the new guidelines require new health insurance plans to cover women\u2019s preventive services such as well-woman visits, breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, and contraception without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible.
\n\u201cThe Affordable Care Act helps stop health problems before they start,\u201d said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.\u00a0 \u201cThese historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.\u201d
\nBefore health reform, too many Americans didn\u2019t get the preventive health care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, lead productive lives, and reduce health care costs.\u00a0 Often because of cost, Americans used preventive services at about half the recommended rate.
\nLast summer, HHS released new insurance market rules under the Affordable Care Act requiring all new private health plans to cover several evidence-based preventive services like mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, and childhood immunizations without charging a copayment, deductible or coinsurance. The Affordable Care Act also made recommended preventive services free for people on Medicare.
\nToday\u2019s announcement builds on that progress by making sure women have access to a full range of recommended preventive services without cost sharing, including:
\nwell-woman visits;
\nscreening for gestational diabetes;
\nhuman papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing for women 30 years and older;
\nsexually-transmitted infection counseling;
\nhuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and counseling;
\nFDA-approved contraception methods and contraceptive counseling;
\nbreastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling; and
\ndomestic violence screening and counseling.
\nNew health plans will need to include these services without cost sharing for insurance policies with plan years beginning on or after August 1, 2012.\u00a0 The rules governing coverage of preventive services which allow plans to use reasonable medical management to help define the nature of the covered service apply to women\u2019s preventive services.\u00a0 Plans will retain the flexibility to control costs and promote efficient delivery of care by, for example, continuing to charge cost-sharing for branded drugs if a generic version is available and is just as effective and safe for the patient to use.
\nThe administration also released an amendment to the prevention regulation that allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services. This regulation is modeled on the most common accommodation for churches available in the majority of the 28 states that already require insurance companies to cover contraception.\u00a0 HHS welcomes comment on this policy.
\nPreviously, preventive services for women had been recommended one-by-one or as part of guidelines targeted at men as well.\u00a0 As such, the HHS directed the independent Institute of Medicine to, for the first time ever, conduct a scientific review and provide recommendations on specific preventive measures that meet women\u2019s unique health needs and help keep women healthy.\u00a0 HHS\u2019 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) used the IOM report issued July 19, when developing the guidelines that are being issued today. The IOM\u2019s report relied on independent physicians, nurses, scientists, and other experts to make these determinations based on scientific evidence.
\nToday\u2019s announcement is another part of the Obama Administration\u2019s broader effort to address the health and well-being of our communities through initiatives such as the President\u2019s Childhood Obesity Task Force, the First Lady\u2019s Let\u2019s Move! campaign, the National Quality Strategy, and the National Prevention Strategy.
\nFor more information on the HHS guidelines for expanding women\u2019s preventive services, please visit: http:\/\/www.healthcare.gov\/news\/factsheets\/womensprevention08012011a.html<\/a>. The guidelines can be found at: www.hrsa.gov\/womensguidelines\/<\/a>.
\nTo learn more about the Affordable Care Act, please visit www.healthcare.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"