HEALTH REFORM: Addressing the Gender Coverage Gap

A year ago, we posted on a report by the National Women’s Law Center on how the current health care system hurts women. Among the many flaws:

• Health insurers can reject women applicants for gender-specific reasons (including, in some states, classifying domestic violence as a preexisting condition).
• Many insurance policies in the individual market don’t cover maternity.
• Women pay more for insurance than men the same age.

Sen. Baucus's office today put out a list of reasons for why his proposed Finance Committee bill helps women. Among them:

• Better access to affordable coverage.
• Medicaid expansion for poor women.
• Women won't pay more than men, just because they are women.
• More focus on prevention, screening and wellness (including eliminating copays for certain services under Medicare).
• Smoking cessation programs for pregnant women.
• Medicaid coverage for free-standing birth centers.

Marcia Greenberger, co-president of the center said that while the proposal needs to be strengthened, "it ends insurance discrimination that women face in the individual market... and ensures health plans cover certain basic health care needs, including maternity coverage."

(I recieved the Baucus statement in an email, it's not on the commitee website yet, but check back later.)