Opinion Pieces Address Women's Health Issues In Health Reform Debate

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance;  Abortion
Article Date: 10 Nov 2009 - 4:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Opinion pieces in two newspapers addressed women's health issues in the health care reform debate. Summaries appear below.

• Anne Davis, Auburn Reporter: "Health care reform must change the rules" by making health insurance "affordable to all women, and the insurance we buy must cover our reproductive health care," Davis, an ob-gyn and medical director of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, writes. "Since the recession began, dozens of women have made emergency appointments with me because they have been laid off and are on the brink of losing their health insurance," she continues. According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than one in four women or their partners have lost their jobs or health insurance in the past year, and one in four women have delayed an ob-gyn visit to save money in the past year. "I am fortunate to have had insurers that cover the essentials for reproductive health," but "health care shouldn't be a matter of luck," Davis writes. "For too long, women in this country have been sicker than we should be, with far-ranging effects on the jobs we hold, the families we care for, and the society we live in," she adds. She concludes, "Congress now has an opportunity to improve the health of women dramatically. Our senators and representatives must put insurance within every woman's reach" (Davis, Auburn Reporter, 11/5).
  
  
• Renee Stromme/Lois Altenburg/Sureshi Jayawardene Anaman, Fargo Forum: "Right now in the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., decisions on substantial health care reform are being made -- decisions that will have vast impact across North Dakota," according to Stromme, executive director of the North Dakota Women's Network; Altenburg, president of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota; and Anaman, co-chair of the Women's Network of the Red River Valley. "Action on this landmark legislation cannot come fast enough for the women and families of our state who are reeling from the impact of the worst recession in our nation's history and need relief now," they write. "But some are more concerned with throwing up roadblocks to impede the progress and are attempting to derail reform over the abortion issue," the authors say, adding, "It's time to set the record straight." In order to "address both pro-life and pro-choice concerns around health care reform," Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) "drafted a provision that attempts to balance both sides of the issue," they note, adding that "the Capps proposal expressly prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion care." The authors continue, "While reasonable people disagree over the issue of abortion, no woman wants her health to be the object of political gamesmanship in this debate," which is "why the Capps proposal was created." It is "a common-sense solution to help health care reform move forward with the support of the mainstream on all sides of the issue," according to the authors. They conclude, "It's time to put partisan special interest politics aside and work toward a real solution for the one in four North Dakotans who had to go without basic health care coverage for their families last year" (Stromme et al., Fargo Forum, 11/6).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.