HEALTH POLITICS: Women's Day of Action for Health Reform

Today is a national "Women's Day of Action" for health reform, part of the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) campaign, Being a Woman Is Not A Pre-Existing Condition. The campaign works to educate women about the disparities they face in the current health care system and urge them to fight for reform. The day of action features a rally in D.C. where women can share their stories and an online action network that offers information and a portal to contact Congress and demand health reform.

We've written before about women paying more and getting less from our current health care system. According to a report from the HHS released earlier this year, women face more difficulties getting employer sponsored care. The HHS report also found woman are more likely to delay care because of cost concerns (52 percent of women vs. 39 percent of men), forgoing vital, preventative services such as screenings for breast or cervical cancer.

Women seeking health coverage in the individual market often pay higher, gender-rated premiums, and cannot get maternity coverage. A recent report from the NWLC, Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-existing Condition, found that gender-rating is still practiced by 95 percent of surveyed top-selling health plans in all 50 state capitals. Additionally, women seeking coverage on the individual market are discriminated against for a variety of "pre-existing conditions." These conditions range from the unfair -- such as denying coverage for giving birth through C-section or infertility (or spousal infertility) -- to the hurtful and outrageous: in some states, victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape are denied coverage.

Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama spoke out about the importance of health reform to women and families. She urged women, "talk to your friends, talk to your neighbors. And let's get the word out about what's at stake."

We need health reform that works for everyone, including women. As NWLC Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger said in a press release today:

We want women to know that health care reform isn't something that should be debated only in Washington -- because it affects women everywhere. That's why we're taking our campaign outside the Beltway and bringing it to the women and families whose lives are affected the most. Women need to make their voices heard and speak out to demand health care reform that works for women.