NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
By the end of this summer, some women will no longer have to pay co-pays for birth control pills and while some are excited about the change, it's not without controversy.
Beginning August 1, the Affordable Care Act will require insurance companies cover 100% of preventative care, including birth control, on all new insurance plans. The remaining plans will follow suit by 2013.
"It will be a huge deal," birth control user Pia Bartolai told Nashville's News 2, adding, "There are so many women out there who I know that are frustrated by the fact that they are paying something like this over and over again."
Not everyone is happy about the change and some religious based employers even want to opt out.
Nashville's Baptist Hospital and St. Thomas Health systems are part of the Catholic Health Association which points out that birth control is not a preventative service because pregnancy is not a disease.
The association said, in part, "The Catholic Health Association is disappointed that the definition of a religious employer was not broadened."
To ease religious employers into the new mandate, the Federal Government is giving them one year to comply.
There are eight services included in the Affordable Care Act including colonoscopies, mammograms, pediatric services and vaccinations.
Read more at HealthCare.gov.
