Posted in Blog, Healthcare
I am a full-time graduate student at USC, and I was enrolled in their health care coverage plan because I am over 26. Tending to school and internship requirements, I can only work part-time, and because of this, I am not able to receive insurance through my employer. After reviewing what services were provided through my health care insurance as a woman, I sought to obtain coverage that catered to my individual needs. I signed up for health care coverage through the marketplace in early December of 2016.
I turned to the marketplace webpage during the special enrollment period to find a plan that was more affordable and more inclusive for me as a woman. OBGYN services such as preventative health care procedures, birth control, and medication were notably cheaper through the plans I was a candidate for thanks to the ACA. After completing the application process, I received over $300 in subsidies to purchase coverage that I only pay $30 dollars a month for today. My medication is remarkably cheaper, and I have a wider range of services provided to me as a woman that are more accessible and affordable. Having the option to choose my health care instead of being provided one generic option gave me great peace of mind. The Affordable Care Act empowered me, as a woman, to be in control of my own physical and mental health without being penalized with higher deductibles, co-pays, and monthly fees because of my gender.