As a vote nears….or is rumored to be near…or is rumored to be near at least on the House health care reform bill, the stakes are rising for legislation that comprehensively addresses women’s health care needs, including sexual and reproductive health care and yes, including access to abortion care.

Abortion remains one of the critical issues on the table.  A cadre of male Congressmen led by Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan, and the–of course–all-male United
States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) continues to threaten
reform over the issue of abortion. 

Before I go any further, let’s just establish at the outset that 87 percent of typical employer-based insurance policies in 2002 covered medically necessary or appropriate abortions (a figure that is did not include plans that offered abortion coverage only in very limited circumstances.)

The aim of anti-choice leaders in the House and Senate, not to mention the Catholic Church, is to include language in the health reform bill that would effectively forbid private insurers from providing coverage for abortion care.  That is….if they are successful, women will lose coverage they already have as a result of politicking by so-called pro-lifers, the majority of whom are men.

But beyond even that, concerns about women’s health coverage range from the exclusion in insurance policies of gender rating practices (whereby women pay more than men because they are women) to excluding victims of domestic violence from insurance coverage because of a "pre-existing condition."

So women across the country are pushing back, not only to keep their current coverage intact, but to ensure that women’s health needs are no longer considered the domain of third-class citizens.

One such effort launched today by National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) includes a vigil underway from 9 am this morning until 9 pm tonight in Dupont Circle in the District of Columbia; house parties and trivia night events across the country to highlight the disparities women face in the current health care system; and online actions to be taken by women in every congressional district.

NWLC’s campaign website, "A Women Is Not A Pre-Existing Condition," includes a video, links to online actions, sample letters and facts about women and health reform.

NWLC is asking women to call on their representative to ensure that the final version of any health reform bill accomplishes the following:

Puts an end to unfair and discriminatory practices

• People must not be charged more because of their gender, age or health status.
• Insurers must not refuse to cover treatment for certain conditions or revoke the existing policies of customers who have been paying premiums for years.
• Government must play a strong watchdog role to ensure that the reforms are enforced.

 

Ensures access to affordable care for everyone

• Health coverage must be affordable, relative to income.
• Affordability should be based on all the costs of a woman’s health care, including insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-payments.
• There should be adequate sliding scale subsidies for people who are ineligible for programs like Medicaid but who can’t afford the total cost of their health coverage.

 

Provides comprehensive coverage for all of women’s health needs:  

• Health insurance must cover the services that women need to stay healthy and to treat physical and mental illnesses at all stages of life.
• Reforms should set a standard for benefits that requires coverage for all necessary care, including preventive care and a full range of reproductive health services.

 

Provides coverage for a full range of reproductive health services

• All FDA-approved contraceptives should be covered.
• No woman should lose abortion coverage she now has.
• Other covered services must include infertility services, sterilization and maternity care.

This is perhaps the single most important piece of legislation that will–hopefully–be passed for a long time to come.  It’s critical that it is right….and in fact millions of lives depend on it….yours, mine, and our daughters.

Act today.  You don’t have time to waste.