PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND CELEBRATES KEY AFFORDABLE CARE ACT MILESTONE FOR WOMEN’S PREVENTIVE CARE

Well-woman check-ups, STI testing and other preventive benefits for women go into effect beginning August 1, 2012

(New Haven, CT) Today Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) celebrates a critical early milestone for women's preventive health under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Specifically, well-woman check-ups, STI (sexually transmitted infections) testing and counseling, as well as birth control coverage and contraceptive counseling are now available at no cost to women, providing essential preventive care and easing the strain on household budgets.

"As the nation's leading women's health care provider and advocate, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand how critical these preventive services are for women and their families, not just for their health but also for their pocketbooks," stated Judy Tabar President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. "We see women having to choose between an annual health exam and groceries. No longer having to make this choice, women will be able to receive an earlier diagnosis and treatment for cancers, a stronger doctor/patient relationship with regular check-ups and an opportunity to live healthier lives."

As implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues, PPSNE will stand alongside the 35,000 women in Rhode Island and 80,000 in Connecticut who are in need of publicly funded family-planning services but are currently not being served. We will continue the fight for access to affordable, quality health care.

"Politics should never interfere with access to health care. Americans aren't interested in reopening fights over health care reform," said Cecile Richards President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "Let's be very clear: expanding Medicaid is smart fiscal and health policy for states. There is no good reason for states not to expand coverage for those who need it most and Planned Parenthood will be working across the country to ensure that, regardless of income, Americans will gain that access."

Nearly three million patients are served by Planned Parenthood health centers every year; and half of those patients rely on Medicaid coverage to access preventive care, including cancer screenings and birth control.

The Affordable Care Act is the greatest advance in women's health in a generation, providing numerous benefits for women's health, including access to well-woman exams, STI testing, cancer screenings and birth control without co-pays. It also guarantees women direct access to OB/GYN providers without referrals, and ends discriminatory practices against women, such as charging women higher premiums and denying coverage for pre-existing conditions like breast cancer, having a C-section, or being the victim of domestic violence.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England provides confidential, caring and quality health services to all community members. PPSNE provides affordable, lifesaving cancer screenings; testing and treatment for STIs, including HIV tests; and birth control. Every year, Planned Parenthood affiliates across the nation provide family planning counseling and contraception to 2.2 million patients.

###

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England is one of the region’s largest providers of family planning and reproductive health care services, with 19 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, delivering care to nearly 70,000 patients annually, and 90 percent of the services provided are preventive. For 95 years, Planned Parenthood Federation of America has provided health care and family planning services to women and men across the country. One in five American women has received care from a Planned Parenthood health center during her lifetime, and last year three million patients came to one of our more than 800 health centers.