Thirty million women will benefit from the health reform law over the next decade, either through new or strengthened insurance coverage, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund. In the first analysis of its kind, the authors report that the law will stabilize and reverse the growing exposure to health costs that women now experience by subsidizing health insurance for up to 15 million currently uninsured women, and strengthening existing coverage for 14.5 million women who are considered underinsured—those who have health coverage that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses.
"Historically, women have been more vulnerable to high health care costs and have had greater difficulty paying medical bills because of their lower incomes," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "This report provides good news to all women, who will be more likely to get the care they need, with reduced risk of incurring the unaffordable medical bills that have affected so many Americans."
