White House list of free preventative services won’t include birth control

The list should be released today, and the Wall Street Journal says it won’t include birth control. This list is part of the new health care overhaul, as bits and pieces go into effect starting now.

The Obama administration on Wednesday will unveil new rules specifying which preventive health services will be free to consumers under the new health law.
Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as obesity prevention services, immunizations, blood pressure screenings and tobacco cessation services are among those that will be available to consumers without a copayment or other direct costs for consumers on new health plans after Sept. 23.
Birth control will not qualify as preventive under these regulations. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is pushing for it to be included in a separate set of regulations on women’s health expected to come out in the coming months.

To ensure access to birth control for everyone who wants it, including it as a preventative service would be key. The fight on this is definitely not over, as reproductive rights and justice groups gear up to push the White House on this issue.

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