Women’s Health Policy

This issue brief, Health Reform: Implications for Women’s Access to Coverage and Care, reviews how the Affordable Care Act is expected to affect access to care and affordability of health coverage for women. It also explains the provisions in the health reform law related to preventive screening services, reproductive health, maternity care and women on Medicare. The brief includes national and state-level estimates of the percentage of uninsured women ages 18-64 who are likely to qualify for federal help under the law and a summary of key coverage and benefits provisions in the health reform law that affect women.

This month’s Visualizing Health Policy infographic provides information about the role of Medicaid and Medicare in women’s health care: the proportion of US women who are covered by Medicaid and Medicare; how women comprise the majority of those covered by the Medicaid and Medicare programs and the majority of those receiving long-term services and supports (such as home health care); how women on Medicaid are poorer and sicker than women with private coverage; how Medicaid is a primary payer for women’s reproductive health services; and how women on Medicare spend more than their male counterparts on medical care and also have higher rates of health problems and social challenges.

Health insurance coverage is a critical factor in making health care accessible to women—women with health coverage are more likely to obtain needed preventive, primary, and specialty care services. Test your knowledge of women’s health coverage and the effect of the Affordable Care Act on women with our ten-question quiz.

White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee Discuss Impact of HIV on Women. New Kaiser Report Shows Progress in Stemming New HIV Infections among Women in U.S., though Only a Quarter have Virus Suppressed with Treatment AIDS United Announces Community Grants Program to Support Efforts in Hard…

This report maps the trajectory of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among women in the United States (U.S.), including the following: key historical epidemiological trends and the important role played by women in the response over time; the current impact of HIV among women in the U.S., including a profile of those…

At noon ET on Monday, April 15, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a webcast (archived video below) to introduce EMPOWERED, a new campaign from Grammy Award-winning artist and HIV activist Alicia Keys and the Kaiser Family Foundation to reach women about HIV/AIDS. Ms. Keys was joined by White House Senior Advisor…