As Much Of The Country Sees Insurance Gains Under ACA, Texan Women Are Left Behind
The Commonwealth Fund's 2016 Biennial Health Insurance Survey reported solid progress for women across the country since the law was enacted, but in Texas the gains for women have been minimal. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are inching toward passing legislation that will require women to buy separate insurance for abortions.
Houston Chronicle:
Health Insurance Gains Elude Many Texas Women
One in four Texas women remain uninsured - nearly five times the rate of uninsured women in New York and almost 1½ times higher than those in California. The Commonwealth findings show they also lag far behind in affording treatment and are struggling with medical debt. ... Overall, Texas continues to lead the nation in the number of uninsured, with an estimated 4.5 million people without coverage. One of the biggest changes under the current law is that insurers can no longer charge women higher premiums or deny them outright simply based on gender, researchers found. (Deam, 8/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Will Join Eight Other States If It Bans Abortion Coverage In Health Plans
Texas is on the verge of following just a handful of states that have gone as far as banning insurance coverage of abortions, not just people who have coverage through the health exchanges through the Affordable Care Act, but also for all private insurance plans. For some groups opposed to abortion rights, the fact Texas hasn't already joined other states, including most of the South, in restricting abortion coverage in health plans through the Obamacare exchanges has been a source of frustration. (Wallace, 8/10)
In other women's health news —
The Associated Press:
Kansas May Discipline Doctor Over 13-Year-Old's Abortion
A doctor facing possible disciplinary action over allegations that he broke Kansas law in handling a 13-year-old girl's abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic told medical regulators Thursday he was unaware of the patient's age — and that the clinic's staff was to blame. (Suhr and Hanna, 8/10)
Iowa Public Radio:
What Happens After A Planned Parenthood Clinic Closes?
Recently, four Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa ended operations. ... To see if these closings have affected healthcare access in the state, I visited southeast Iowa, where two of the four clinics that recently closed were located. (Boden, 8/10)
