Blog Post

Making Plans Comply with Obamacare

It has been over six years since Obamacare passed, but the work is far from done. We need to remain vigilant to make sure insurance companies are complying and that women receive the coverage and benefits guaranteed under the law. This is why we applaud the Department of Health and Human Services for yesterday’s announcement that $22 million in grants will be made available to state insurance regulators for oversight of compliance with key insurance protections under the law.
The grants can be used by state regulators to ensure compliance with key protections to women, including preventive services and essential health benefits, such as maternity care. As the National Women’s Law Center exposed last year, health plans across the country are violating the requirements of the law.  Health plans offered on the health insurance marketplaces in 2014 and 2015 violated coverage requirements for maternity care, birth control, breast-feeding support and supplies, genetic testing, well-woman visits, prescription drug coverage, and care related to gender transition for transgender individuals.
When health insurance plans fail to comply with the law, women fail to receive health care services they need. Some women cannot afford care without insurance coverage. Other women do not have the time to go through lengthy appeals processes or to wait on hold for customer services representatives. The result is they go without care or pay for services that should be covered under their plans.  By providing resources to state regulators who review health insurance plans, states can make sure plans comply with the law before they are offered on the marketplace.