Health Care Reform Package Continues to Include Major Provisions on Women’s Health

24.12.2009 The United State Senate health care bill, as passed today, has major provision affecting women and their families including sections related to reproductive health and rights.

On the first day of Senate debate in early December, the Senate passed a Women's Health Amendment introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) guaranteeing access to preventive tests that save money and save women’s lives. These provisions also require insurance companies to cover preventive care and screenings at no added cost to women. Click here for a summary.

On December 18th, the Senate Managers Amendment added two new provisions related to abortion access and restrictions. A December 21 memo by Sara Rosenbaum of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Public Services outlines the impact of these new sections.

This Manager’s Amendment and the original bill also includes provisions related to expanding maternity care, ending sex-based insurance rates and eliminating pre-existing conditions that affect victims of domestic violence, breast cancer survivors and other conditions and diseases disproportionately affecting women. An estimated 17 million women do not have health care insurance coverage.

The vote, on the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation, brings Democrats a step closer to passage. It clears the way for negotiations with the House, which passed a similar bill in November by a vote of 220 to 215.

For information on how health care reform affects women and their families, go to: www.WomenandHealthCareReform.org for media contact names and numbers for dozens of groups working on women and health care and lead Members of Congress, facts and figures on women’s health, links to recent media coverage, polling on key issues, studies, research and more.