1. Was the ACA shaped by gender?

2. What is the ACA? Signed into law March 23, 2010
Obama’s signature piece of legislation
47 million Americans were uninsured before
20 million more Americans are now covered
Patient Protection Act + Affordable Healthcare for America Act

3. Past Healthcare Reform Ideas
Hillary Clinton (1993)
Health Security Act
Eliminating pre-existing condition
Security for patients
Was not passed
(National Affairs)
Mitt Romney (2006)
Massachusetts Healthcare Reform
Made healthcare affordable for all
Everyone should be covered
Not much emphasis on protection
(American Journal of Law & Medicine)

4. Gender Rating Women paid 50% more than men for coverage
Only was allowed in individual insurance markets
Why?
Women use more health services than men and maternity costs (Bertakis)
Men and women use health services differently
Younger women v. older men (Kahn)
3% of gender-rating insurance companies covered maternity costs (National Women’s Law Center)
But why would women pay more for reproduction costs anyways?

5. Free Preventative Care
22 free preventative care services
Screenings
Mammograms and Pap smears
Immunizations
Breast feeding support
Birth control
(PBS, National Women’s Law Center)

6. Pre-existing Conditions
What are they?
Any health condition one acquired before his or her health insurance went into effect
Who does this effect?
About half of the population
What did insurance do with this information?
Refuse coverage of all related services
Increase costs of insurance
What qualified as pre-existing conditions?
Most pertained to women

7. Domestic Abuse 1 out of every 3 women are domestically abused (NCADV)
8 states and D.C. still acknowledged this as a pre-existing condition in 2009 (NWLC)
Further discouraged women from coming forward

8. Mental Illness
Depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder are more commonly found in women (Gender and women’s mental health)
Doctors are more likely to diagnose women with mental illness (Gender and women’s mental health)
Health insurance now covers all mental illnesses
Lower stigma possibly

9. Pregnancy & Complications
Pregnancy and C-sections are pre-existing conditions
Advised not to get pregnant if they may switch insurance companies (Fetters)
Delivery fees (Truven Report)
Insured, no complications: $3,600-$8,800
Uninsured, no complications: $30,000
Uninsured, complications: $50,000
Breast pumps and lactation counselors are now free (under preventative care)

10. Approval Rate 53% disapprove 45% approve (Pew Research) Why?
Misconceptions
Believe quality goes down, costs goes up

11. Conclusion Yes, gender impacted the ACA
Specifically females
First to end gender rating
Too many misconceptions created by critics