Are there any preventive services for women specifically?
Yes, the ACA includes a number of preventive services for women that most private plans are required to cover without cost sharing. These include:
- Counseling and screening services including prenatal and preconception care
- Breast and cervical cancer screening
- Genetic counseling and testing for women at high risk of breast cancer
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening and counseling for high risk women
- Annual well-woman visit
- Contraceptive counseling, services, and supplies including FDA-approved , granted, or cleared contraceptives prescribed for women, effective family planning practices, and sterilization procedures for women
- Breastfeeding counseling and support services including breast pump rental
- Intimate partner violence screening and counseling
So long as the preventive service is performed by an in-network provider, is not billed separately from the office visit, and is the main reason for the office visit, then the visit and the preventive service must be covered by the insurer without cost sharing.
Some health plans are not required to cover all preventive services. Click here for more information.