Tyler TX — Today the Affordable Care Act, also known as, Obamacare, goes into effect and with that women are saying goodbye to paying a co-pay for the pill.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act some insured women were still paying a co-pay or a deductible for their birth control.

However, now nearly fourty-seven-million American women will have access to contraceptives for free.

Covering the co-pay for birth control is just one of the eight "well-woman health benefits" that insurance companies must now cover for free.

Goods Pharmacist manager, David Davis, told KETK, "I think it'll be great for our female customers, we do have some customers that in this economy can't afford the co-pay fort their medications especially their birth control medications.

The Obama administration stated that preventing unwanted pregnancies is only one goal of the new requirement.

A Total Health Care employee told KETK that she thinks women should be in control of their own family planning and that birth control should be covered by insurance since it is a preventative health care.

The issued regulations included a provision that allows religious institutions to opt out of birth control coverage.

We also spoke with a college student to get her take on how this coverage benefits women.

Morgan Kilpatrick said, "Cost of birth control being included in health insurance now and being covered will help the general public, and it will also help people on different walks of life, whether it's a young teenager, a college student, a young couple who's just starting out and not ready to create a family, and also those who may be a part of a lower s-e-s status."