Health Care Reform That Works for Women

Dear Readers,

Since the President’s healthcare reform bill passed in March, there has been a whole lot of hullabaloo from Sarah Palin, and others of her Tea Party ilk, regarding this supposed government takeover of healthcare.

Of course, this is a joke, albeit a harmful one, which anyone who bothers to actually read any fact-based summary of the new bill will understand (keep reading, and see below).

In fact, contrary to Palin’s hysteria about government takeovers and the like, the new bill will actually make private enterprise, especially heath care executives, even richer than it and they already are.

Why? Well, because the now-mandatory state-based, so-called “healthcare exchanges,” set-up to provide health insurance options for those who presently don’t have any, mean full employment, (that’s for sure), for heath insurance execs. (There’s a lot to figure-out, and a whole lot more to administer on the going-forward.)

So, if you’re a free market advocate, not-to-worry about healthcare reform: The free market (still) rules, even if Goldman Sachs is getting sued!

Of course, at the same time as there has been all this negative Tea Party talk, numerous reports have been published on what the healthcare reform bill actually holds in store for women, even while it has created significant new obstacles to access to abortion.

For an analysis of the problem with access to abortion, checkout my pieces for The Huffington Post, or go to RH Reality Check, a truly fabulous site.

For what the healthcare reform bill will do for women, that’s a good thing, click here for a comprehensive summary of what’s “positive,” (then followed by a summary of what’s “negative,” beyond the matter of access to abortion).

And here are a few excerpts from the positives’ list:

Of the 12.4 million uninsured women of reproductive health age (15 to 44) in the United
States, 94% would qualify for either Medicaid or federal subsidies to help them buy health
insurance.1

Young adults will be able to stay on family health insurance policies until their 26th
birthdays, thus providing them access to reproductive health care.

Insurance companies will not be able to cancel our policies if we get sick, including with
ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer or HIV.

Insurance companies will not be able to deny us coverage for such ‘pre-existing
conditions’ as pregnancy or having had a c-section delivery in the past.

All private insurance plans will be required to offer a package of women’s preventive and
screening services, such as such as pap smears and mammograms, without requiring co-
pays.

New funds ($50 million a year) are appropriated for school-based health programs, which
often provide STI and birth control counseling and services.

As for what else is on the healthcare horizon for today’s-Chicago-woman, I recommend you start paying attention, if you haven’t yet, to news coverage about electronic medical records.

This topic may sound arcane, but what happens here will have a very big effect on you and every other today’s-Chicago-woman.

Here’s the background: In the President’s original 2009 economic stimulus package, he allocated close to 33 billion dollars for helping healthcare providers to digitize medical records. Subsequently, additional financial incentives--for hospitals, doctor’s practices, insurers, and other healthcare industry players--have come along in other bills, including in the health care reform bill.

In part, what this means is that providers who digitize will receive financial incentives for undertaking what is considered “meaningful use” of those digitized records. But, as with all things (political), “God is in the details.”

Of course, these doctors, hospital administrators, clinic directors, etc. shouldn’t be getting taxpayer subsidies for activity that won’t improve patient care. And therein lies the rub: See here for a recent missive on this matter from the National Partnership for Women and Families.

Today’s-Chicago-women: Pay attention to this, as you also pay attention to the news about reproductive health, breast cancer, and all the other heath issues we care about. You will be the better (and healthier) for it.

Best wishes.

Rebecca
www.rebeccasive.com

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Rebecca Sive began her career as a community organizer in Chicago. Now a nationally recognized expert on issues affecting women and girls, Rebecca combines grassroots knowledge and boardroom expertise. www.rebeccasive.com