Insurance companies routinely charged women up to 50 percent more than men for the same plan, while some plans completely excluded coverage for maternity care.

Insurance companies are offering women the preventive care they need, like prenatal screenings, mammograms, and colonoscopies, free of charge—and soon, well-woman visits, HPV testing, and contraception will be available without a co-pay or deductible.

Women can no longer be charged more than a man for the same coverage, and plans will cover the full range of maternity benefits.

Insurance companies used to be able to drop kids from their parents’ insurance plans at 18 or at graduation.

Young people can stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until age 26—helping them continue to have access to health care as they start their careers and making sure those with pre-existing conditions don’t lose their coverage. And insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to any person under 19 due to a pre-existing condition.

Insurance companies are offering more preventive services free of charge, helping catch illnesses early and reducing long-run health care costs.

If you already have insurance, the law's individual responsibility requirement won't change your coverage. When fully implemented, this common-sense reform will help make sure all families have the coverage they need with:

• Checkups and well-woman visits
• Cholesterol and blood pressure checks
• Mammograms and colon cancer screenings
• Flu shots and childhood vaccines
• Contraception
• Prenatal screenings and support to breastfeeding mothers

When individuals who can afford to buy insurance choose not to, they shift their health care costs to all of us. Today, families with insurance pay a hidden tax of nearly $1,000 per year to cover health care for the uninsured. 

If you already have insurance, the law’s individual responsibility requirement won’t change your coverage. When fully implemented, this common-sense reform will help make sure all families have the coverage they need with:

• New tax credits: To help middle-class families buy a plan in new state marketplaces for affordable insurance, putting coverage within reach of nearly every American
• Individual responsibility: Only 1 percent of all Americans, those who can afford coverage but choose not to purchase it, are expected to owe a fine—which offsets the medical costs they are passing on to others. People who get insurance through their employer, through Medicare, or who cannot afford insurance are exempt from the rule.
• Lower costs: Making coverage more affordable for the vast majority of Americans who already have insurance