Women Of Color Benefit From Contraceptive Coverage In Employer Plans

On Friday, February 10 the Obama administration released its final regulation implementing the preventive care provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Heeding the nonpartisan recommendations of the Institute of Medicine, the regulation will require all group and employer health plans, with the exception of some religious entities, to provide no-cost coverage of all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptives, among other types of preventive care. This means that in the next year, employees will have access to the full range of contraceptive devices and supplies without the burden of co-pays or deductibles. This policy will improve access to a vital health care service for millions of women, especially women of color who face a number of health disparities.

Studies show that planned pregnancies and the spacing of children improve the health of women and families, including fewer pregnancy complications such as premature birth, low birth weight, and infant and maternal mortality. Yet women of color experience much higher unintended pregnancy rates than their white counterparts: Black women are three times as likely as white women to experience an unintended pregnancy; Latinas are twice as likely. This new regulation guaranteeing access to no-cost contraception will give women of color a much-needed chance to close these gaps.

Women of color as a group also suffer higher rates of chronic diseases, including pregnancy-related conditions, which can be prevented with consistent use of contraceptives. For example, women of color have higher rates of gestational diabetes, which can lead to permanent Type II diabetes. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists lists simply being Native American, Asian American, Hispanic, African American, or Pacific Islander as a risk factor for gestational diabetes. Access to affordable contraception will help these women avoid unintended pregnancy and allow them to better manage their health before and during pregnancy by enabling them to plan wanted pregnancies.

In addition, oral contraceptives are often used to treat conditions unrelated to the prevention of pregnancy, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is prevalent among women of color with a family history of diabetes and can lead to ovarian cancer if left untreated. Indeed, 14 percent of all women on "the pill" have used oral contraception exclusively for a non-contraceptive medical reason and 58 percent of women have used the pill for reasons in addition to or other than its contraceptive properties

more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-arons/women-of-color-benefit-from-contraceptive-coverage_b_1307549.html