News

Are Most Pregnancy Related Symptoms Considered Pre-Existing Conditioned Under AHA Re-Write?

Posted on May 6, 2017

A number of news articles and social media posts claim that pregnancy, sexual assault and domestic violence could be considered “pre-existing conditions” that make it hard to keep insurance coverage under the Republican health care bill. Are those alarming claims really true?

The bill doesn’t specifically refer to any of these things, and some of the headlines suggesting that it does are misleading.

But the bill would allow insurers, in limited circumstances, to charge people more if they have a pre-existing condition — a health issue that existed before the patient’s coverage starts, if that person has had a lapse in insurance.

Under the current health care law — the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare — insurers are not allowed to charge more or deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. The GOP health plan the passed the House Thursday — called the American Health Care Act (AHCA) — would allow states to seek a waiver from that rule. It would fund a system of “high-risk pools” to offer assistance to patients instead, but many are concerned that won’t be enough.

Twitter is overflowing with lists of pre-existing conditions, patient testimonials and personal stories of health struggles with the hashtag #IAmAPreexistingCondition. People living with a host of medical conditions are worried about the future of their coverage if the Republican plan becomes law.

Concern has focused in particular on women’s health issues, and especially pregnancy. Claims that rape victims could lose their coverage have also stirred outrage. Here’s a fact check:

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This Telemedicine App Promises Free Birth Control amidst Obamacare Abolishing Threat

Posted on February 9, 2017

Telemedicine startup Nurx has committed to keep the free birth control flowing after the Republicans in Congress and Donald Trump nix Obamacare, as they’ve been proposing for a while now.

“Donald Trump’s first executive order reaffirmed that he is intent on repealing the Affordable Care Act. We hope that in doing so he ensures that women would retain access to free birth control and other preventative services. Anything less would be reckless.” says co-founder and CEO of Nurx, Hans Gangeskar.

He also believes that repealing the Affordable Care Act would cause 24 million people to lose health coverage by 2021 and would have devastating consequences on women’s health.

To do its part to counter those effects, Nurx is offering free birth control to new users who use the promo code ‘AlternativeFacts.’

The San Francisco, California-based company focuses on making birth control as well as Truvada for PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) more accessible to everyone through their app. With the app, users can get a prescription from a doctor and have their medication delivered right to their door.

According to the National Women’s Law Center, roughly 55 million women now receive contraception and other preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs because of the Affordable Care Act.

In 2015, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that the ACA is saving oral contraceptive users an average of $255 a year and $248 for women with an IUD.

Its mission is to be a low cost option for woman and since December 2016, it has offered free pills to new users.

The Free Birth Control Promotion requires users to use the promo code ‘AlternativeFacts’ in order to get $45 of credit toward birth control through Nurx. To get the deal, users must visit Nurx.com, create a Nurx account, pick their brand of choice, and enter promo code ‘AlternativeFacts’ at checkout. The promotion ends February 28, 2017.

According to Nurx’s Medical Director, Dr. Jessica Knox, “Women should not have to jump through unnecessary hoops just to access birth control. The pill remains available by prescription only throughout the United States today, but with our app, we’re making birth control more accessible than ever.”

How the App Works for Birth Control:

● User Chooses Brand – The user selects their brand, answers a few questions, enters their insurance and shipping info.

● Doctor Reviews Submission – a Nurx partner physician reviews the request and writes a prescription.

● Delivered to Customer – The prescribed medication is delivered right to the user’s door.

“Women should be able to access health care on their own terms,” explains Dr. Edvard Engesaeth, a medical doctor and cofounder of Nurx. The app works for both new and existing birth control users and the service and shipping are often free to anyone with health care coverage. For uninsured patients, Nurx waives the consultation fee.

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BumpNews

Breastfeeding & Pumping at Work: Know Your Rights

Posted on September 5, 2014

Many American women do not yet know that the current US federal law states about what rights women have to pump their milk at work; and what accommodations they are entitled to get from their employers.

Tom Spiggle, author of “You’re Pregnant? You’re Fired!,” who focuses on pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, says that if you are breastfeeding your child, the right to pump milk at work under federal law remains a bit complicated. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, also known as Obamacare, requires employers to allow women to pump breast milk while they are at work, but like many federal regulations covering American workers, it’s shot through with loopholes.

“For the first time, women constitute more than half of the workforce and the fastest growing `segment is women with children under the age of three,” says Spiggle. “Although many workplaces now provide lactation rooms and staggered breaks for breastfeeding mothers, they’re often doing so voluntarily as a good business practice to help retain female employees and not as a matter of law. And a good business practice it is.”

Spiggle says the good news is if a woman is covered under the law, her employer must provide a “reasonable break time” to pump milk each time you need to during the day, which is typically every few hours. That includes any time she would need to retrieve and use any type of breast pump. She must also be given a private space that is not a bathroom where she won’t be bothered by coworkers or customers. (It doesn’t necessarily have to be a dedicated lactation room, however.)

The bad news is a woman’s breast-pumping time doesn’t have to be paid, unless her coworkers also get paid breaks. And not everyone is covered by the new law. For starters, employers only have to meet the requirement if they have 50 or more employees, but as it turns out, only three percent of America’s small businesses (defined as those with fewer than 500 workers) fit that definition in 2010. A company with fewer than 50 employees must comply with the law unless it can prove that it would be an “undue hardship” to do so. The Department of Labor has made it clear that this standard is a very high hurdle to meet.

Also, only those women who are “non-exempt” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are covered. The FLSA is a complicated law, but non-exempt employees are generally hourly workers who must be paid overtime. If you make more than $455 a week and have any supervisory responsibility, you may be exempt and therefore not covered by the breastfeeding law. This big loophole leaves out a lot of breastfeeding mothers.

“In a perfect world, bosses would be understanding and accommodate nursing moms’ needs during those few months when they are pumping milk,” adds Spiggle. “After all, few people dispute the benefits of breastfeeding for babies. It’s healthier than formula, not to mention cheaper.”

Good review! Hope this clears everything up.

photo: Reuters

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BumpNews

Mom’s Guide to Health Reform and Maternity Coverage

Posted on July 24, 2014

This week, two different U.S. Court of Appeals issued conflicting rulings about how the federal government can subsidize those residents who have signed up for healthcare.

A DC Circuit Court said the federal government went too far offering subsidies and a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals hours in a similar case upheld the subsidies in their entirety.

It all reminded me to share this guide that will help your realize how your old policy may have changed whether it is new, newly covered or discontinued.

Mom’s Guide to Health Reform and Maternity Coverage by JJ Ghatt

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BumpNews

The IRS exempted Pregnant women from “Obamacare” tax penalty

Posted on February 5, 2014

Depending on when you get pregnant, if you don’t already

have health insurance, you

may qualify for an expansion of the Medicaid program in your state.

It is part of the 2010 Affordable Healthcare Law, sometimes

called “Obamacare” because it was pushed by President Barack Obama and is part of his bellwether accomplishment for his first term in office, and is having widespread implications into his second term.

The elements of the contentious law gradually go into effect over the years. Despite efforts to repeal or defund it because of claims it would cost jobs and some to lose their existing coverage, the US Supreme Court

has declared it constitutional, the president signed it into law and Congress

voted it into law four years ago.

You can fight it or if you’re in need, figure out how it can

help you especially if you find yourself knocked up without adequate healthcare.

Last December, the Internal Revenue Service exempted pregnant women,

among other categories of people, from the penalty all Americans who do

not get insurance by April 1 must pay.

But the law also adds a special coverage just for pregnant women,

depending on the timing of the pregnancy. If you qualify, meet certain income

minimums, your care would be covered for FREE.

If you are not eligible for Medicaid, you

may qualify for a subsidized low-cost health care form a “Qualified

Healthcare Provider”.

Under AHA, all QHP must provide, with No Co-Pay:
·

Maternity care
·

Labor and delivery
·

Prenatal care, and
·

all diagnostic screenings.

States still have flexibility to determine what services are

covered so you should examine and compare plans carefully.

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