[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             NO CO-PAY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2012

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate No 
Co-Pay Day.
  Today marks a victory for women's health care. Some 47 million women 
will now be able to get preventative services that couldn't before this 
rule went into effect.
  Any new insurance policies sold to individuals or employers must 
cover contraception without a co-pay as part of a larger package of 
mandatory co-pay-free women's preventive care benefits. Insurance plans 
that have already been purchased will have to start offering no-co-pay 
contraception when they renew.
  Before the Affordable Care Act, some insurance companies did not 
cover preventative services for women under their health care plans, 
and others required deductibles or co-pays for the care they needed.
  That changes today--all health insurance policies are required to 
cover new preventative care without charging women any co-pays or 
deductibles. Some of the new preventative services now available with 
no co-pay include annual visits, FDA-approved contraceptives, domestic 
violence screenings and counseling, breastfeeding support, HPV DNA 
testing for women 30 or older, HIV and sexually transmitted infections 
screenings, and gestational diabetes screenings that help protect 
pregnant women from one of the most serious pregnancy-related diseases.
  Too often, women put their families' health care before their own, 
especially when it comes to preventative care.
  Thanks to this new benefit in the Affordable Care Act, women can get 
the regular checkups and screenings that are so important to staying 
healthy without having to worry about how much it will affect the 
family budget.
  Today's announcement is just one more part of the overall 
implementation plan for improving our nation's health care system.
  The Affordable Care Act will provide greater access to affordable 
health care for millions of women and families who do not have coverage 
now, while also lowering health care costs, creating jobs, 
strengthening the middle class, and reducing the deficit.

                          ____________________