The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Why It Is Important for Women’s Health

Authors

Mary Fanning, Notre Dame of Maryland UniversityFollow

Disciplines

Health and Medical Administration | Health Law and Policy | Health Policy | Law and Gender | Public Law and Legal Theory | Public Policy

Abstract

President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 23, 2010 ending the long history of disparity in access to health care services between insured and uninsured persons. Disparity between women and men in obtaining health insurance coverage is also corrected in the act. Women’s organizations that have focused attention on women’s distinctive health needs over the past century and a half laid the foundation for provisions in the legislation that address women’s health. This article addresses health insurance coverage, its impact on health, the particular challenges women have confronted in seeking coverage, and the impact of the ACA on these issues. Mary Fanning is assistant professor of business at Notre Dame of Maryland University where she teaches graduate courses in health care administration. She holds a doctorate in public policy from University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Recommended Citation

Fanning, Mary (2012) "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Why It Is Important for Women’s Health," Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/jift/vol6/iss1/1