The increased benefits from the changes to the system have added eight preventive tests.
One of the eight new preventive tests that have been added by the health care reforms and that are now available through medical policies at no cost to the patient is a form of screening for domestic violence.
These Affordable Care Act changes went into effect earlier this month.
According to the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence director of training and technical assistance, Kirsten Faisal, this type of screening is vitally important. The reason is that it is not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to talk about it with their doctors.
The health care reform plays to the number one place that victims are most likely to confide.
Faisal explained that “The number one system that they turn to is not victim services. It’s not calling law enforcement. The number one place people will turn to is their health-care provider.” For this reason, the additional benefits from the health care reforms make a significant difference in the ability of victims to be able to reach assistance.
The health care reforms state that it is no longer allowed for insurance companies to charge their policyholders for a number of different types of preventive tests. These include screening for domestic violence. It is one of its most significant steps toward the improvement of the overall medical care system and the access that Americans have to it.
Opponents and critics of the health care reforms have said that offering this to policyholders for free will be far too costly. However, in Faisal’s opinion, being able to detect domestic violence early so that it can be treated quickly and aggressively will actually save money in the long run.
In the United States, violence among intimate partners is already costing billions of dollars every year, as well as lost time at work, and additional costs connected to substance abuse and mental health. Faisal pointed out that the impact of domestic violence extends much more broadly than immediate physical injuries.
She also pointed out that “It impacts things like triggering asthma. It increases your risk of high blood pressure, of heart disease.” Another element to the health care reforms is that insurance claims caused by domestic violence cannot be denied as a pre-existing condition.
