What a difference a couple weeks make. Since the historic health care bill became law, the conversation has slowly begun to change. Sure, some people, especially my friends, are still focused on the politics of health care, and some folks, not my friends, are mostly trying to stop reform at the state level. But many people I talk to in my travels are asking a more practical question: How does the health care law affect women?
While the 2,000-plus page bill is now becoming the focus of new regulations and guidelines, the answer to the question about women is simple. Despite unacceptable and onerous restrictions on private health insurance coverage for abortion, this new law represents the greatest single legislative advance for women's health care since Medicare and Medicaid were signed into law nearly 45 years ago. The new law increases access, broadens coverage, and eases the burden on women, who still earn less than men but have higher health costs.
Let's look at a few specifics of how the law will make a huge difference in women's lives:
Basic reproductive health care when you need it: Right now, more than 17 million women are in need of family planning but can't afford it. This law addresses that need by extending either private health insurance or Medicaid coverage to millions of women who currently don't have it. New rules will dramatically increase access to reproductive health services, including family planning and contraception. The law also ensures that millions of women with modest incomes will benefit from free or very low -cost, lifesaving screenings for breast and cervical cancer.
No more unfair billing: Right now, women are routinely charged higher premiums than men. Well, insurance companies won't be able to do that anymore. This law prohibits insurers from charging women more than they charge men for a comprehensive private health insurance plan.
No more "pre-existing" conditions: Right now, women are commonly denied private health insurance because of "pre-existing" conditions such as breast cancer and pregnancy. This new law is making that go away, too. It specifically forbids insurers from denying coverage because of "pre-existing" conditions.
Health insurance for millions who need it: Between 2014 and 2019, 32 million Americans, many of them women with modest incomes, will go from being uninsured to insured. The new health insurance will cover regular exams and preventive care from community health centers, including Planned Parenthood health centers.
But the abortion provision is not good: While we won a huge victory by keeping the Stupak abortion ban out of the bill, which would have resulted in a near total ban of private health insurance coverage for abortion, we ended up instead with other severe restrictions on private health insurance coverage for abortion. The restrictions must be overturned before they go into effect in 2014.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that this law is a momentous step in the right direction for American women and their families. But we must do more to fix its abortion provisions, while we make sure the law is implemented to women's benefit. And high on our list must be electing even more pro-choice members of the Senate and House. Until we do so, the law won't be what it should when it comes to abortion and health care coverage. For America's women, we must do more, we can do more, and we will do more.
Cecile Richards is the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
Follow Cecile Richards on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cecilerichards
David Katz, M.D.: Do Multivitamins Cause Breast Cancer?
Do multivitamins cause breast cancer? An observational cohort study conducted in Sweden, recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests they may.
Francine Hardaway: Mayo Clinic AZ CEO Talks About the Impact of New Law
Medicare goes to everybody whether they need it or not, and that may have to change. No one wants to acknowledge that people with more money might have to pay something for Medicare in the future.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/demons-and-demonization/
A huge historic moment, but too much still needs to be done.
I think the main focus should be on people alive NOW. After all, orphanages and foster homes would be full to bursting, and the children that could have been spared a life of torment will be forced to stick with potentially abusive and frustrated parents. Or, women could go to get illegal and unsafe abortions that put both lives at risk. Of course, there's a chance that NONE of this would happen, but.... *shrug*.
It sounds like Republicans are trying to make something that's a very complex issue into a simple one. "All Pro-choicers are baby-killers, and they're all going to burn in the eternal lakes forever and ever, amen. If we banned abortion, Jesus would love America again and smite all of the commies and fascists. And we'll all live happily ever after."
But it's not a simple issue. I think we should regulate abortions sensibly. It shouldn't be taxed in any case where there is rape, incest, or potentially dangerous to the mother, but late-term mothers cannot get the procedure at all.
They are doing exactly what Sanger would have wanted.
Can you imagine if we tried to pass a law that said men who masturbated will be jailed for murdering potential lives? Or tried to pass a law outlawing viagra? How about a law that would tax men to cover for all the deadbeat dads?
Yet, fanatic busybodies try to pass laws that would interfere in women's most important health care decisions, implying that a woman's judgement of her situation is inadequate. I blame organized religions for this, mired as they are in stale, repugnant fantasy.
"New rules will dramatically increase access to reproductive health services, including family planning and contraception"
If family planning = contraception, then her statement is redundant. Maybe it's just bad writing, but I don't think so.
Most of the difference is because women smoke less, but it's about equal now and the life expectancies are evening out, the difference is less.
And people who work don't live as long, but now as many women as men work.
The most interesting research finding: short people live longer than tall people! That explains most of the advantage woman have: on the average, they are shorter.
In any case, it's not a big difference. At age 50, women expect to live to 85, men to 82.