As this week marks the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, women’s groups will host a series of events in six states, netroots activity, and a national webinar to celebrate what the new health law means for women. The schedule of activity taking place on Thursday, March 24th includes:

• Events taking place in Washington, DC; Denver, CO; Tampa, FL; Des Moines, IA (with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin); Raleigh, NC; Albany, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Montpelier, VT, and local women telling their stories of how the Affordable Care Act is working for them.
  
• More than 25 organizations will participate in a national webinar at 1:00 PM EDT about how the law benefits women. The webinar will feature special White House guests:
  • Melody Barnes, the Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Domestic Policy Advisor to the President;
    
  • Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy

  Click here for more details.
  

• Webinar at 3:00 PM EDT for small business women co-hosted by National Women’s Law Center, Small Business Majority, MomsRising, and National Partnership for Women & Families. Click here for more details.
  
• Webinar at 12:30 PM EDT for doctors about how the health care law is benefiting women with the National Physicians Alliance and the National Women’s Law Center. Click here for more details.
  
• MomsRising and National Women’s Law Center will conduct a 24 hour blog-a-thon (starting on the 23rd and ending on the evening of the 24th).
  
• Coordinated email blasts with women’s organizations asking leaders to protect women’s health by keeping the health care law strong.
  
• Coordinated Facebook updates and tweets by women’s organizations about how women are benefiting from the health care law.

Women’s organizations participating in the effort include: Advancing Women’s Health Initiative, American College of Nurse Midwives, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Women’s Association, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Childbirth Connection, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Ibis Reproductive Health, Law Students for Reproductive Justice, Maryland Women’s Coalition for Health Care Reform, MomsRising, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, 9 to 5 the National Association of Working Women, National Coalition for LGBT Health, National Council of Jewish Women, National Council for Research on Women, National Council of Women’s Organizations, National Health Law Program, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Physicians Alliance Foundation, National Women’s Law Center, Older Women’s League, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need, Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, and Women Heart.

This activity is coinciding with nearly 200 other events taking place across the country this week with seniors, small businesses and young people coming together to explain how they are benefiting from the Affordable Care Act now and to highlight what is at stake as opponents of the law work through Congress and the courts to repeal or overturn the law and put insurance companies back in charge of health care decisions for America’s families. Each event will demonstrate that now is the time to protect our care from those who would take away protections against pre-existing condition exclusions, prescription drug cost reductions, and expanded coverage for children, young adults and women.

Passage of the Affordable Care Act marked a new phase for women’s health in America. No more being charged higher premiums just because of her gender. No more being branded a pre-existing condition because of her Caesarean section or because she was the victim of domestic violence.

• The Affordable Care Act ends unconscionable insurance company practices against women. Insurers will no longer be able to charge women higher premiums than men or drop women and their families from coverage if they get sick.

• New security for essential care, such as maternity care. All new health plans will be required to cover health services important for women such as maternity care, newborn care and prescription drug benefits. A report in 2009 showed that only 13 percent of health plans sold in the individual health insurance market included maternity care.

• No more co-pays for preventive services, such as mammograms. Because of the Affordable Care Act, Americans joining a new health plan or Medicare beneficiaries can receive recommended preventive services without a co-pay, deductible or any other out-of-pocket expense — covering services like mammograms, new baby care and well-child visits.