QUALITY: Health Reform That Works for Women and Families

Everyone has a stake in the health care reform debate. As the National Partnership for Women & Families pointed out in a recent issue brief, the stakes are particularly high for women.

Women face difficulties accessing and affording care. Recently, reports by both the White House and the Kaiser Family Foundation shed light on women's health disparities. Women are often the primary health care decision makers for their families, so they experience first-hand the strain brought on by problems in the current system. According to a recent poll by Consumer Reports, 76 percent of women support or strongly support health reform that would give all uninsured Americans access to affordable, quality health care.

The National Partnership has a number of policy suggestions to relieve the strain the health care system places on women and families. Here are some highlights:

Affordability. During the past decade, health care costs have risen faster than wages. This is a problem for women, since they utilize care more frequently than men but, on average, have lower incomes. The Partnership suggests the federal government should provide tax credits to help low- and middle-income families purchase health insurance and establish out-of-pocket payment caps to ensure no individuals or families are paying more than 10 percent of their income for coverage. Medicaid should be expanded to cover families with incomes at 150 percent of the federal poverty level and childless low-income adults. Individual mandates should be implemented with a public information campaign and a progressive penalty structure that does not place unfair strain on low-income individuals.

Choice and Cost. According to the National Partnership, women are more likely to work for or own small businesses. Small businesses are less able to afford health insurance for their employees, especially during troubled economic times. Currently, private insurers are legally permitted to deny women coverage or raise premiums based on age, gender, or health status. The National Partnership calls for guaranteed coverage for everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions, and a limitation on age and lifestyle rating for premiums.

Coverage. Women need regular check-ups and screening for reproductive health cancers, during and beyond their reproductive years. A comprehensive coverage package should provide women with maternity care, well-woman and well-child visits, cancer screening, and reproductive health services.

Quality. Even when insurance status, income, age and health condition are considered, women and minorities tend to receive poorer quality care. The National Partnership calls for patient-focused delivery system reform that emphasizes coordinated care, patient choice, and routine assessments to continually improve quality and eliminate disparities.

Successful health care reform should alleviate the burden placed on women and families by the current system. The health needs of women, children, and families are not competing needs in health care reform, but are instead all aspects of a comprehensive solution that works for everyone.