This is a guest post from Raising Women’s Voices.
This weekend not only marks a time where we will be celebrating Moms, but it marks the launch of a campaign celebrating everything the Affordable Care Act does for the health of mothers and children, “I Love MamaCare!”
Sadly, it is not uncommon to hear stories of moms who forgo preventive screenings or medical treatment, so their families can pay the bills and have food to put on the table. Thanks to the ACA, however, moms now have access to several of the preventive services they need to stay healthy, like pap smears and mammograms. Starting on August 1, 2012, moms will get access to even more services, like contraception and breastfeeding support, with no co-pay.
But the benefits of the Affordable Care Act go beyond just preventive care. It also gives protection against discriminatory health insurer practices. Take Tracy from Wisconsin, for example. Her son, Sami, has neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow all over his body. He needs care that is a little more specialized than the care most 9 year olds need. The ACA now prevents insurance companies from dropping Sami’s coverage because he is sick, and from refusing to cover care once Tracy’s family hits a lifetime limit.
The ACA also provides moms the security in knowing their kids will stay covered, even as young adults. Diana from Illinois has a 24 year old daughter Katie who is currently in graduate school. One of her biggest worries is that Katie won’t have insurance or the ability to afford the care she needs. Thanks to the ACA, Katie can stay on her health insurance until she is 26, even after she graduates. (And luckily for mom, Katie won’t even need to live at home to get this coverage!)
With the ACA doing so much for Moms and our families, we’re celebrating it this weekend on Mother’s Day. In fact, we’re even coining our own name for the law. People can call it the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare – but at the end of the day, this law helps moms and families, so we at Raising Women’s Voices are calling it MamaCare.
Join Raising Women’s Voices online for our “I Love MamaCare!” campaign. Take a picture with your mother or child, and send us your story about how you or someone you know has been helped by MamaCare. We’ll share it on our Twitter and Tumblr, and make sure your voices are heard in support of MamaCare!
-- Maryanne Tomazic, Raising Women's Voices Regional Coordinator