FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The new Affordable Care Act is likely to help 30 million women obtain better health insurance or coverage if they don't already have any, a new report shows.

Under the new provisions, which are already taking effect, 15 million uninsured women will gain access to health coverage and 14.5 million underinsured women will get better coverage, the report found.

The report, prepared by the Commonwealth Fund, is the first in a series dealing with health reform that will be released over the next several months.

Women tend to be disproportionately pounded by the health-care system as it currently stands, according to the report.

"While, as a group, women are just as likely as men to be uninsured, they are more likely to face medical debt and more trouble buying health insurance in the private market," said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund. "They're more vulnerable to high health-care costs and have trouble paying bills historically because of lower incomes," she explained.

"This report provides good news to all women who are more likely to get the care they need with a reduced risk of not being able to pay medical bills," she said.

According to Sara Collins, Commonwealth Fund vice president, nearly 17 million working-age women aged 19 to 64 were uninsured in 2008, the latest available data from the U.S. Census.

"Given the continuing high unemployment rate over the last year, this number likely increased as women and/or spouses lost jobs or health insurance or both," she said.

Most uninsured and underinsured women will gain access to comprehensive health insurance starting in 2014, but some provisions are already in effect or about to go into effect.