Yesterday, President Obama made the audacious statement that we would reform the health care system in America this year. At what the president rightfully called the "hottest ticket in town," a truly remarkable group of what Washington likes to call stakeholders came together at the White House Health Care Summit to ponder the seemingly intractable issue of reforming the nation's health care system. Under the steady gaze of portraits of George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt, 150 health care providers, industry reps, advocates and members of Congress took the first step, together, to discuss the hopes and dreams of the American people to have a health care system that ensures that everyone has access to quality, affordable care.
Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of women's reproductive health care in the country, providing preventative health care to more than three million patients through a network of nearly 880 health care centers. Ninety-seven percent of the services we provide are preventive, ranging from cancer screenings to providing the HPV vaccine and contraception.
And, in these difficult economic times, Planned Parenthood health centers are seeing more women entering our doors. Our Northern California affiliate has had a 21 percent increase due to women losing their jobs and health benefits. Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa now signs up five or six new patients each day when it used to sign up that many in a week. A recent article in US News and World Report sheds light on the impact that the economic downturn has had on women's health. The article reports that many people who have lost their health insurance have been "swarming into Planned Parenthood clinics to get free or subsidized contraception."
Yesterday, in a break-out session moderated by the White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, I was thrilled to be asked the first question about how, as a health care provider, Planned Parenthood sees the need to reform health care. To me, it was a signal that this president was serious about making women's health a priority. I took the opportunity to try and shed some light on what women in this country need to strengthen their health and the health of their families:
*Women need preventative care, including access to affordable and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health care. Women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men, in part because of reproductive health-related needs and services. What does this tell us? It's pretty simple - if we as a nation are serious about controlling costs and increasing access, we need to address the real health needs of women. Women need affordable contraception, cancer screenings, prenatal care when pregnant and, with at least one in four teenage girls contracting a sexually transmitted infection, screenings and comprehensive educational to prevent STIs. Planned Parenthood screens nearly one million women each year for cervical cancer, conducts 850,000 breast exams in addition to the family planning and prenatal care we provide to ensure health families.
*Increasing health care coverage will not work if we don't also increase access. We applaud the president for the action he took earlier this week to use some of the economic stimulus money to fund community health centers. That's an important first step. But there's still a long way to go in addressing the provider shortage crisis faced by low income women. In Massachusetts where they enacted universal coverage, women have to wait 44 days to get an appointment for family planning services. As we move forward, we must build a strong infrastructure that includes support for women's primary care providers including family planning health centers. For millions of women, Planned Parenthood clinics are their entry point for care. We provide access to a health care system that they often feel is out of reach, particularly as they search for affordable, trusted care. Our nation needs a network of family planning providers that care for low-income clients.
*And we must recognize that government can't do it alone. We need to empower women and their families to make informed decisions about their health care needs. At Planned Parenthood, we've been fighting to ensure that women have access to comprehensive information about their health care.
In the closing session, the president addressed head on the elephant in the room - health care reform has been tried time and time before and failed. And, with the economic woes plaguing the nation, can we really afford to spend time on such a difficult challenge?
And the overwhelming response was deafening - we simply can't afford not to act, especially in light of these devastating economic times. Failure to act is no longer an option.
Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island captured the feeling in the room, saying that in the last go around of health care reform, it was Harry and Louise. But this time, it's more like Thelma and Louise, headed over the Grand Canyon. And as President Obama aptly noted, this time, we're not going there. Working together, we can succeed.
Yesterday was an incredible beginning - and by all accounts we are moving fast. On behalf of the 1 in 4 women in America who have been to our health centers, Planned Parenthood is glad to be not only along for the ride, but a willing and able driver to victory for desperately needed reform. We are proud to have a president who has made women's health a priority.
Cross-posted on RHRealityCheck.