Eight Years Later, More Families Have the Health Insurance They Critically Need
Eight years ago, the Affordable Care Act became law, making it easier for moms and young children to access high-quality and affordable health insurance. Today, more American families have health insurance whether through their employer, the Health Insurance Marketplace or Medicaid, and their insurance is required to include essential health services—including many that support women and young children.
Just being a woman no longer is a reason for insurers to charge more for equal coverage. Maternity and newborn care, hospitalization and recommended preventative services are all considered essential health benefits, meaning these services must be included in all new insurance plans. And women can no longer be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions such as a previous pregnancy, C-section, diabetes, or cancer. These positive changes to our health insurance system have meant more moms, children, and families have the health security they deserve.
1,000 Days believes that every mom, child and family in America deserves a healthy first 1,000 days. We continue to support guaranteed access to high-quality, affordable health insurance that offers comprehensive benefits for pre-conception and pre-natal care, maternity services, breastfeeding and post-partum supports, pediatric care and other critical maternal, infant and young child health services. In addition, we reject all efforts that would make it more difficult for families to access comprehensive health insurance, result in increased numbers of uninsured people, or allow health plans to put needed services out of reach. Any such effort rolls back the progress we’ve made — and will result in worse health outcomes for moms and children.
Today, we say thank you to the policymakers, health care providers and plans, allies and moms across the country who work every day to protect health care for our moms and babies. We will continue working to keep improving our health care system to prioritize the needs of moms, children and families.