Bill to Guarantee Women Access to Preventive Health Screenings

Senator Introduces Amendment to the Senate Health Care Reform Bill to Guarantee Women Access to Preventive Health Screenings and Care at No Cost

Senator Barbara Mikulski from Maryland introduced an amendment to include women's preventative care in all health plans at no additional cost.  Senator Mikulski stated “Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the top killers of women are cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, ovarian and lung, and heart and vascular disease. And silent killers if they go undetected like diabetes. For these killers, we have screenings at no cost that are proven to detect these diseases early. Guaranteed access to these screenings will save money and save lives."

The women's health amendment (download the PDF here:  http://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/BAI09N48.pdf) expands access to the following services:

• Cervical cancer screenings
• Annual mammograms for women under 50
• Pregnancy and postpartum depression screenings
• Screenings for domestic violence
• Annual women's health screenings
• Family planning services

Senator Mikulski further stated “My amendment guarantees access to preventive screenings for the number one killers of women – heart disease, cancers and chronic conditions like diabetes – to save lives and save money.” This amendment, which passed November 30, 2009, requires all health plans to cover comprehensive women’s preventive care and screenings with no copayments providing all women with access to the same basic set of comprehensive preventive services similar to those of federal employees and Members of Congress enrolled in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan. This access to preventive health care is in addition to the other prevention sections of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

As these benefits will be an advantage to your patients’ health and also your bottom line, Genius Solutions is recommending that THOMAS clients start preparing and flagging their patients for this upcoming change.  Both dTHOMAS and eTHOMAS software can help you with several options to inform your patients of these new health benefits using different reports and patient flagging options.  Our technical support team would be happy to provide our clients with recommendations based on their specific needs.  We are available Monday through Thursday 8am to 6pm and Friday 8am to 3pm at (800) 645-0955 option 6.  

Jessie Paris
Genius Solution's Medical Matters Team
newsletter2009 @ geniussolutions.com

Find us on the internet at www.GeniusSolutions.com
(800) 645-0955 Voice
(586) 751-9230 Fax
Hours of Operation: Mon - Thur, 8am - 6pm EST, Fri 8am-3pm EST