The Affordable Care Act requires plans to provide preventive health services for men and women without cost-sharing. In light of the existing gap in women's preventive health care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services charged the IOM with reviewing and making recommendations about what preventive services are important to women's health and well-being. On Tuesday, July 19, the IOM issued a report recommending that women's preventive services include:

- a fuller range of contraceptive education, counseling, methods, and services so that women can better avoid unwanted pregnancies and space their pregnancies to promote optimal birth outcomes;

- improved screening for cervical cancer, counseling for sexually transmitted infections, and counseling and screening for HIV;

- services for pregnant women including screening for gestational diabetes and lactation counseling and equipment to help women who choose to breastfeed do so successfully;

- at least one well-woman preventive care visit annually for women to receive comprehensive services; and

- screening and counseling for all women and adolescent girls for interpersonal and domestic violence in a culturally sensitive and supportive manner.

For more on the impact of these recommendations, you can see my earlier blog post "Birth Control Coverage is a Critical Win for Women's Health."