On Thursday, May 15 at 9:30am EDT, the Kaiser Family Foundation held a public briefing to release a new report based on the Foundation’s 2013 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey.  This report, the latest in a periodic series begun in 2001, provides new findings that will be critical to understanding women’s early experiences with the coverage changes that are part of the Affordable Care Act, including the latest information on:

•    Private and public insurance coverage rates for women
•    Use of preventive services for women covered as a result of the ACA
•    Coverage and  use of contraceptives and other reproductive health services for women
•    The impact of out of pocket costs, medical bills, and other barriers on women’s access to care

The key findings from the new survey were presented by Usha Ranji, the Foundation’s Associate Director for Women’s Health Policy, which were followed by a panel discussion on the ACA and challenges in improving women’s health and access to care moderated by Alina Salganicoff, Ph.D, Kaiser Family Foundation Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy.

Discussants included:

Amy Allina, Deputy Director, National Women’s Health Network and Co-Founder, Raising Women’s Voices

Vanessa Cullins, MD, MPH, MBA, Vice President, External Medical Affairs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Francisco Garcia, MD, MPH,Director and Chief Medical Officer, Pima County Health Department, Arizona.

Cara James, Ph.D, Director, Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services