Healthcare reform law will benefit 30 million women - report

The Commonwealth Fund released a report on July 30, 2010 stating that the new healthcare reform lw, which dictates how health insurance should be sold, will benefit about 30 million women in the United States.

The report, authored by Sara R. Collins and colleagues, says that over the next decade, the Affordable Care Act could provide new coverage for up to 15 million women who now are uninsured.

In addition, the health care reform law is expected to improve coverage while simultaneously reducing premiums for health insurance currently enjoyed now by 14.5 million women.

The report offers an estimation regarding how some provisions of the healthcare reform law affect women's health insurance:

"Requirement that employers and insurers allow adult children up to age 26 to join or remain on a parent’s health plan (Sept 2010)."

This provision will help nearly one million uninsured adult children.  

Another 600,000 currently insured through individual market plans will gain more coverage through their parents' plans.  The final analysis shows that about 800,000 women may benefit from this provision.

"Ban on lifetime coverage limits (Spet 2010)."

This will help an estimated 10,000 women would gain coverage.

"Phased-in restrictions on annual benefit limits (Sept 2010)."

An estimated 18 million men and women have health plans with annual benefit limits. By 2013, up to 1750 women will gain coverage because the law provides them a higher cap.  The limit cap will be removed in 2014.

"Bans on rescissions of coverage (Sept 2010)."

Rescissions are a common practice in the insurance industry, they are a measure to maximize its profit, but it hurts the consumers' interest.  An estimated 15 million people including 5.5 million women face the risk of rescissions of health coverage policies. This provision helps those women. In reality, about 5,350 women have their policies rescinded each year.

"Preexisting condition insurance plans (July-Aug 2010)"

This provision will help in the next three years about 100,000 women who have health problems that would otherwise make it difficult for them to obtain insurance coverage.

"Rebates to Medicare beneficiaries in the drug coverage doughnut hole (2010)."

About 16 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are affected by the famous doughnut hole. Starting this year, a $250 rebate will be sent to those who are affected and the hole itself will be gone by 2020.

These are provisions of the healthcare reform law that will specifically affect women's health insurance by the end of 2013.  The health reform law takes full effect in 2014.

By David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton