Feminist Majority: Health Care

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

HERvotes Blog Carnival: What Health-Care Reform Means to Women

By Cindy Pearson, co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need

For the tenth #HERvotes blog carnival, we’re celebrating the second anniversary of the new health-reform law, the Affordable Care Act, or ACA.

Why are women so excited about the ACA? Well, for a start, the law has already started removing barriers to health care and improving services for millions of women and our families, helping us access the care we need to stay healthy.

This week’s #HERvotes blog carnival is going to raise women’s voices all across the country. We will tell our stories of how the Affordable Care Act has helped us, what is still wrong with our health care system and what we’re doing to make a difference. We will express our anger about the insurance company abuses–such as charging us more than men for our health insurance–that will continue until the ACA is fully implemented. And perhaps most importantly, we’ll share why this important advance for women should be upheld by the Supreme Court when it takes up the Affordable Care Act next week.

Please join us in lifting our voices–because we all have something to gain from the Affordable Care Act.

You can participate by telling your own story and by sharing the posts below on Facebook, Twitter (using the hashtag #HERvotes) and other social media.

#HERvotes, a multi-organization campaign launched in August 2011, advocates women using our voices and votes to stop the attacks on the women’s movement’s major advances, many of which are at risk in the next election.

Two Years Later, Reflections on the Landmark Health Care Law

by Miri Cypers, JWI Senior Policy and Advocacy Specialist

Two years ago this week, Congress voted in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform bill, and sent the legislation to President Obama’s desk to sign. This came after months of heated debate in Washington DC and throughout the nation which showcased the complex and often vitriolic nature of the political landscape in the United States. Ultimately, the passage of this historic bill affirmed the right of every American to quality, affordable health coverage and served as an especially important victory for women and their families.
So what gains has the Affordable Care Act made since its passage two years ago? Now, over 20 million women across the U.S. have received preventive health care services, from mammograms to colonoscopies, without co-pays. Soon, this coverage will include other critical preventive health care services, like well-women visits, contraception, and domestic violence screenings- all available without additional costs to women. Now, 2.5 million young adults are insured because of the health care law which allows them to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until the age of 26. Now, nearly 500,000 Americans who were denied coverage have insurance. The list goes on and on.
Women are already benefitting from the ACA and these positive trends will only continue. As women and as activists, we must continue to protect this historic law by dispelling myths and staying informed and active advocates. The health care law is a tremendous achievement for women and their families and despite strong opposition, we will not turn back now.

Cross-posted with Jewish Women International

Part of the #HERvotes blog carnival.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Affordable Care Act and Women

By Desiree Hoffman
YWCA USA Director of Advocacy and Policy

March 23, 2011, marked the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Yet polls show that less than 47% of Americans know how it affects them.¹ Lack of understanding was highest among low-income households and the uninsured. When asked, “Do you feel you have enough information about the health reform law to understand how it will impact you personally?,” 61 percent of households with incomes less than $40,000 per year said “no;” 60 percent of uninsured individuals responded “no.”

Today, many households are struggling in a difficult economy and rightly feel a sense of disconnection between their own lives and politics. It isn’t surprising that many people don’t feel they have enough information about the ACA, let alone feel they have accurate information.

Recently I had the chance to speak to a room full of seniors and retirees about the ACA. What stood out to me was the audience knew more about how the law protected their grandchildren than they did about how ACA helps them. Under the new law, the audience knew that insurers could no longer discriminate based on a child’s preexisting condition, and that dependent children under the age of 26 could remain on their parent’s health care plans. What the mostly female audience did not know, however, was that they would no longer be charged co-pays for preventative services such as mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, immunizations, and annual physical exams.

Retirees and seniors were not aware that the ACA:

provides free mammograms every one to two years for women aged 40 and above, and patients identified as high-risk candidates for breast cancer can receive consultation on chemoprevention, and genetic evaluation;

makes it illegal for insurers to deny coverage to women based on pre-existing conditions, including cesarean sections, breast cancer, chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes and even domestic violence; and

ensures that low-income and moderate-income women and families are able to afford health care by expanding Medicaid and offering new affordability credits to families — between 133 percent to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (Example: The range is between $29,328 to $88,000 for a family of four based on 2009 HHS guidelines) — to help pay for health care premiums.

Most shocking to me was that the audience of primarily women had no idea that, before ACA, insurers refused to cover survivors of domestic violence. Before the law, insurers defined domestic violence as a pre-existing condition since many victims often had higher utilization rates of the emergency room and, thus, were viewed as “high risk” or more costly to insure, providing the basis for refusal of health care coverage at all. Under ACA, an insurance company can no longer discriminate against — and re-victimize — a domestic violence survivor by denying health insurance coverage.

From the provisions that help children and grandchildren, to the measures that address breast cancer and help domestic violence survivors obtain health care insurance, the ACA clearly makes healthcare more affordable for women and their families. While the affordability credits do not kick- in until 2014, they are important components of the law that help low and moderate income families. People are struggling with rising healthcare costs and stagnant wages in an economy where unemployment remains high; expanding Medicaid and providing subsidies to help pay for health care premiums will help tremendously.

Despite these benefits, there are intensifying efforts to repeal or weaken the ACA. At the beginning of the 112^th Congress, bills were introduced to repeal the entire law, but they did not muster enough votes to pass. Now, there is a flurry of amendments to halt agencies from fully implementing key provisions of the ACA, and bills to restrict comprehensive reproductive health care services.

This month is declared both national Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Knowing the important benefits that ACA means for breast cancer prevention and treatment and for survivors of domestic violence, there is no better way to commemorate this month than by speaking out in support of the ACA to your Senators and Representative or by educating yourself and your loved ones on the benefits of the new law.

To learn more about the new law visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/relief-for-americans-and-businesses#healthcare-menu

This blog is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival. Read more HERvotes posts by the Feminist Majority and other women’s groups.

#HERvotes Blog Carnival Takes on Health Care

Welcome to the third #HERVotes Blog Carnival! This time, the focus is on women and health care. The blog posts below share personal stories and details about the new benefits from the health care reform law, while also offering original insights on what’s at stake for women and health care. You’ll also find personal stories and analysis delving into the health care services we’ve all gained–and will gain–through the passage of the new health care reform law.

Some of the most impactful new health care services for women and families that have come about because of the new health care reform laws include:

• All new health care plans now must cover certain preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies without charging a deductible, co-pay, or coinsurance.
• Young adults are now allowed to stay on their parent’s health care plan until they turn 26 years old.
• Insurance companies are now prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential health care benefits, like hospital stays.
• Insurance companies now cannot deny health care coverage to children under the age of 19 due to a pre-existing condition.

These new benefits are just the start of the increased coverage that will come about as a result of the new health care reform law. And to find out more about developments in coverage, go to www.Healthcare.gov for the most updated answers to your enrollment and coverage questions.

Last but not least: Since many of these resources and stories will help moms and families looking for information about health care coverage, please be sure to share the link to this blog carnival on Facebook and to follow our Twitter conversation at #HERvotes.

Enjoy reading the many thoughtful and eye-opening blogs below!

This blog is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival.

***

It’s In The Law: Breaking Down What’s In It For You In the New Health Care Law, Thao Nguyen,National Women’s Law Center
Women Have Lives on the Line With Health Care Reform, Jessica Mason Pieklo, Care2.com
She Who Has Health Has Hope — She Who Has Hope Has Everything, Christy Jones, American Association of University Women
Forty Years of Influencing Women’s Health Around the Globe, Byllye Y. Avery,
How Much Would You Pay to Have Your Colon Looked At?, Cindy Pearson, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need; National Women’s Health Network
What the Health Care Bill Means for Women, Jessica Stites, Ms. Magazine
Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege, Carol Rosenblatt, Coalition of Labor Union Women
Women’s Health: It’s Essential!, Cindy Pearson, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need; National Women’s Health Network
Raising Our Voices for the Health Coverage Women Need!, Lois Uttley, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need
Vaccinating the Public Against Health Care Misinformation, Lisa Bennett, National Organization for Women
In Massachusetts, Health reform is a Life Saver for Women, Amanda Dennis and Kelly Blanchard,Ibis Reproductive Health
How Restrictions on Health Care Funding Affect Low Income Women’s Access to Care, Amanda Dennis and Ruth Manski
Public Funding of Family Planning is Essential, Even Under Health Reform, Britt Wahlin and Amanda Dennis, Ibis Reproductive Health
No Co-Pay for Birth Control? A Great First Step Towards Truly Universal Access, Kelly Blanchard,Ibis Reproductive Health
Women’s Health, Worth Fighting For, by Avis Jones DeWeever, PhD, National Council for Negro Women
The Affordable Care Act and Women, Desiree Hoffman, YWCA
A Bright Future Starts Now, Emily Alfano, National Council of Jewish Women
New Health Care Law and Young People: What You Need to Know, Sarah Audelo, Amplify Your Voice
The New Health Care Law and Me, Becky Mezzanotte, National Council of Women’s Organizations
As a Young Woman, I Need Healthcare!, Kendra McCormick, National Council of Women’s Organizations
Better Health Care for Millions of Women? The Right Wing is Outraged, Outraged!, Carol King,Ms. Magazine
Catholic Death Panels Coming to a Hospital Near You, Carol King, Ms. Magazine
U.S. Flunks Women’s Health, Michelle Chen, Ms. Magazine
Birth Control Pills … or a Frappucino?, Leah Berkenwald, Ms. Magazine
“Care,” The New Four-Letter Word, National Women’s Political Caucus
What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for YOU Lately, Colleen Eliza, WIN Writing Group
The ACA and Why Women Need to Vote in 2012, WIN Writing Group

Personal Stories

Though My Son is Still Battling Cancer, We’ve Already Won a Victory, Tracy C. Heiman
For Special Needs Children, the Affordable Care Act Is a Godsend, Magdalena Clark
How My Under-26-Year-Old Son Is Helped by the Affordable Care Act Right Now, Tracy Muñoz
As a Diabetic in Oklahoma, I No Longer Face Annual Limits, Jasmine
Keep Moving Forward on Affordable Care Act: My Daughter’s Story, Lisa Doyle
The Affordable Care Act Has Allowed Our Children to Pursue Their Dreams, Tonya Arroyo
I Wish ACA Had Been Law When I Was a Student, Bernadette Segura
Must-See Video: What Julie, Matt and Baby Violet Faced
How the Affordable Care Act Has Helped My Family, Jose Ricardo Bondoc

Feminist Majority

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

HERvotes Blog Carnival: What Health-Care Reform Means to Women

Two Years Later, Reflections on the Landmark Health Care Law

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Affordable Care Act and Women

#HERvotes Blog Carnival Takes on Health Care

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