HEALTH REFORM: The First Lady Makes a Stand

We often get so caught up following the politics of health reform that we forget how incredibly important reform will be for real people. It's also easy to forget that members of Congress, and the First Family, no less, have had their own confrontations with the health care system -- and that they might actually be able to relate to John and Jane Q. Public.

In a quick, five-minute video message aimed at American women, First Lady Michelle Obama makes health reform a little more personal -- as both a mother and a woman -- and divulges a medical scare that she and the President experienced two years back with their daughter, Sasha. They knew something was terribly wrong, and they were able to quickly get an appointment with their family pediatrician. The doctor expressed concern that Sasha might have meningitis and risked deafness -- possibly even death. He sent the family straight to the Emergency Room. But the Obama's were lucky -- and they know it.

"That moment in our lives flashes through my mind when we talk about health-care reform," Obama explains. "How if we hadn't had insurance, if we couldn't afford a doctor, we might have waited until it was too late."

But the First Lady promises us that with health reform, "every family will have the same peace of mind as we've had."

There has been a lot of attention lately on what health reform can do for women. We have retold (here and here) several painful stories and explained how the nuances of the health insurance industry disproportionately affect women. For example, gender rating, pre-existing conditions and coverage gaps. Michelle Obama's video, part of a week-long celebration of women leading up to Maria Shriver's annual Women's Conference, features Roxi Griffin (both a lung and breast cancer survivor) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Watch the full video:

The First Lady reaches out to all women -- mothers, daughters, grandmothers -- and reminds us that we have all heard too many tragic and heartbreaking health care nightmares. She insists that health reform is about "ensuring that everyone in this country can care for their families and follow their dreams ... particularly for women who are raising kids and taking care of families." She asks us to spread the word, and tell everyone what's at stake if we choose to do nothing at all.