AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Women across America now have access to eight new prevention-related health services.
-Well-woman visits
-Gestational diabetes screenings
-Domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling
-FDA-approved contraceptive methods, education and counseling
-Breastfeeding support, supplies and counseling
-HPV DNA testing for women over the age of 30
-STD counseling for sexually-active women
-HIV screening and counseling for sexually-active women
All of these services are now free of charge to the uninsured woman.
"As it stands right now, the purpose of deductibles and co-pays is to keep people from over-utilizing services," Amarillo OB/GYN Dr. Brian Eades stated. "Everybody's got a little skin in the game. Everybody knows, 'Well, I'm going to go to the doctor if I really need to go.' But we're eliminating these now and there's going to be a lot more access and utilization."
Though the new law is beneficial in providing women with screenings they need on a yearly basis, Dr. Eades said the law will also have consequences.
"Somebody has to pay for these services. You're going to see personal insurance premiums go up. Your employer's going to have to pay more and there's going to be some point where employers are going to quit providing insurance. And, for government programs, taxes are going to have to go up to cover these kind of Obama health care plans that are going into effect one by one."
Dr. Eades added the Texas Panhandle is low on primary care providers, and women seeking these services for the first time may have to see a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant.
"That is ultimately what's going to drive patients into what we call exchanges, which will gradually evolve into just more of a nationalized health care system," he pointed out. "And that really is what the long-term plan of the Obama Administration is."
Some people are happy with the new law, but others are wondering if the positive outcomes will outweigh the negative.
