RH
Reality Check (U.S.), October 09, 2009
Women Democratic Senators Take On Reform, Show Their Male Colleagues What it Means
to Have Cojones
By Jodi Jacobson
As the manipulation,
posturing and bickering over health reform led primarily by conservative male
congressional leaders, pundits, anti-choice organization leaders and "anti-reform
town hall" groupies drones on, the Democratic women of the Senate stepped
up yesterday and in the words of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) said: Enough is enough!
The Senators' obvious frustrations--and even anger--at the slow progress
on health reform legislation, the fact that untold numbers of Americans continue
to become ill or die due to lack of timely health care, and the political games
being with played reproductive health services was refreshing, frank, and long
overdue.
Eight women senators spoke strongly and succinctly about the disparities
in access to affordable health care in the United States, each one hitting on
separate but related issues. The Senators also appeared the same evening in a
brief segment of Larry King Live. Though King consigned them to a couple of minutes
at the end of an otherwise largely vacuous show, the Senators nonetheless made
clear that the practice of denying women coverage based on the "pre-existing
condition" of being a woman would no longer fly.
Senator Barbara Mikulski
(D-MD) provided context to the statements of her colleagues by stating:
We
the women of the Senate have fought for equal pay and equal work…and now
we are fighing for equal coverage. We want equal benefits for equal premiums.
Senator Murray made clear that while they were standing up for women, they
were standing up for all Americans: "The rising cost of health insurance
is hurting women and our country."
But, she continued, it is critical
to fix existing disparties in health care coverage that are affecting women.
Why
specifically women? Every day in this country the health insurance industry denies
women access to coverage……we want to make sure that in the health care
[reform effort] women get equal access to insurance.
The Senators statements
shed light on the various ways in which the high costs of health care and the
lack of insurance coverage disproportionately affect women....as women, as mothers,
as employees, and as caregivers to aging parents and familiy members.
"Women
must shoulder the worst of the health care crisis, including outrageous discriminatory
practices in care and coverage," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
"But it is shocking to think," said Gillibrand:
that [unless
we are proactive] in today’s America over half of the population of this
country could be discriminated against in one of their most basic life’s
needs.
All other things being equal, for example, women still pay more
for health insurance coverage than men. Gillibrand cited data compiled by the
National Women's Law Center showing that:
under our current system a 25
year-old woman pays up to 45 percent more for the same or identitcal coverage
[than her male counterpart.] And yet, some of the most essentiservices required
by women are not covered by many insurance plans ...such as childbearing, pap
smears and mammograms.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) pointed out that:
And
where women can find affordable insurance, stated Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH),
the "actual coverage is woefully inadequate" to their real needs.
Today,
the majority of those on Medicaid and Medicare are women and providing sufficient
funding for those programs is critical to the health care safety net on which
millions depend.
In addition, the toll taken by the recession has had dramatic
effects on women's access to health care. On Larry King Live, Senator Barbara
Boxer (D-CA) cited statistics showing that 52 percent of women delay going to
the doctor because of the cost of care and stated:
I get letters from women
that they simply pray they don't get sick, or that they are waiting to turn 65
to enroll in Medicare. Is this the only form of health insurance they have, prayer?
And...without reform the senior population will not get the care they need.
In their floor statements, the Senators made clear that health reform must
address discrimination in insurance costs and in access to care based on sex,
especially the refusal to cover basic needs such as sexual and reproductive health
care, labor and delivery care, and other essential health needs.
Standard
in-hospital deliveries, for example, cost between $5,000 and $10,000, and much
more if there are complications. But Senator Boxer pointed out the irony of the
fact that in a country that ostensibly "puts family values first...only 14
states...require insurance companies to cover maternity care."
In
fact, as Senator Debbie Stabenow stated with a mix of frustration and incredulity:
Some insurance companies treat pregnancy or the intention to adopt as a
reason to reject someone for a pre-existing condition.
Pregnancy should
never be a pre-existing condition," said Gillibrand, "and such discrimination
is unacceptable and is contrary to our core values of equality and equal rights."
Both Shaheen and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MI) focused on the exclusion
of women victims of domestic violence from insurance coverage because of the pre-existing
condition of having been abused. “This is unbelievable," said Shaheen,
" insurance companies can deny coverage to a woman for having been a victim
of domestic violence.
Gillibrand also took on those opponents of health
reform using reproductive health care and abortion as a means of attacking health
reform.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand argues on the Senate floor to ensure
coverage of reproductive health care in health insurance reform.
"As
we address inadequacies in our health system," said Gillibrand, "we
must safeguard the women’s health clinics that are essential points of care
for millions across the country."
Their work is being politicized....[but]
politicizing health care delivery endangers young women putting them at risk for
teen pregnancy, STDs, or cervical or breast cancer.
Women’s health
clinics provide critical services to women every day. In my own state, over 400,000
New Yorkers receive health care from Planned Parenthood each year. About 50 percent
of them are working adults whose jobs do not offer health care benefits.
"Our
strategy for reform," she continued, "must protect the critical services
that these clinics provide and expand upon their success."
On Larry
King Live, King asked Stabenow how these "women's problems" would be
addressed. In response, Stabenow said the Senators planned to make sure that women
can get affordable and equitable coverage; that pregnancy is not a pre-existing
condition and that maternity coverage is included.
We also need to provide
additional help to pay for prescription drugs, strengthen Medicare and Medicaid,
and take other steps to eliminate disparities.
Gillibrand agreed:
We
must reform our broken system...end disparities [based on] race and gender and
make quality affordable health care affordable for every single American.
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