The Institute of Medicine last week recommended eight preventive services for women that health plans should be required to cover without a co-payment or cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act.
The ACA requires health plans to cover the services listed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' comprehensive list of preventive services. At HHS' request, an IOM committee identified critical gaps in preventive services for women.
[See also: EBRI: Women, young people more likely to seek cost-effective healthcare]
The recommendations are based on a review of existing guidelines and an assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness of different preventive services. The committee identified diseases and conditions that are more common or more serious in women than in men or for which women experience different outcomes or benefit from different interventions.
The IOM report suggested the following services be fully covered:
- Screening for gestational diabetes
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of cervical cancer screening for women older than 30
- Counseling on sexually transmitted infections
- Counseling and screening for HIV
- Contraceptive methods and counseling to prevent unintended pregnancies
- Lactation counseling and equipment to promote breast-feeding
- Screening and counseling to detect and prevent interpersonal and domestic violence
- Yearly well-woman preventive care visits to obtain recommended preventive services
"This report provides a road map for improving the health and well-being of women," said committee chair Linda Rosenstock, dean, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles. "The eight services we identified are necessary to support women's optimal health and well-being. Each recommendation stands on a foundation of evidence supporting its effectiveness."