2010 Historic Health Care Bill While the health care reform bill is a considerable achievement in the U.S., this milestone comes at a high price for women. The bill will in fact provide women with better access to contraception and reproductive health care. It will also provide a major advancement in the elimination of the "pre-exisiting condition," which is placed on women who have had difficult pregnancies, including cesarean sections, or who have been victims of rape. However, the passage of the health care bill is bad news for those concerned with access to abortion services. Read the Fact Sheet on how Health Care Reform will affect women | Read more in our Newsletter.
The abortion restrictions of the bill are as follows:
a) States can decide to BAN abortion coverage on the health exchanges in their state. Because no health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage, states could pass legislation opting out of offering abortion coverage through the exchanges. This means that low-income women and any women or small employers who need to purchase insurance on the exchanges in conservative states will not be able to get plans that include coverage for abortion. Since most Americans will be required to buy insurance, this also means that women will be forced to pay for insurance that does not cover all of their health care needs. This is a radical departure from our current system where more than 85% of private insurance plans cover abortion services. Women with troubled pregnancies who are advised or choose to terminate their pregnancies in the best interest of their families will have the double burden of losing a pregnancy and incurring thousands of dollars in medical debt. b) Individuals will be forced to write separate checks for abortion coverage. The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, and private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds. Employers would need to provide two checks, as well. This is discriminatory, creates a stigma around abortion, poses privacy issues, and will result in many women not obtaining coverage, since women do not plan to have an abortion. Who is going to walk into the human resources department at their place of employment and say, “Hi, I’m here to sign up for the supplemental abortion coverage”? c) Insurance companies may not be willing or able to continue to offer abortion insurance coverage. The patchwork of regulations and the big administrative burdens placed on insurance companies that cover abortion could result in a total loss of insurance coverage for abortion. Being pro-choice has ceased to be a core issue for the Democratic Party. Women have, once again, suffered at the hands of politicians and “compromise,” and face continued discrimination under the new health care reform bill. TAKE ACTION! Let your leaders know that you were not represented when health care reform was passed with unacceptable compromises on abortion. U.S. Capitol Switchboard 202.224.3121. While NOW-NYC is strongly in favor of health care reform that eliminates gender rating, removes restrictions on coverage to pre-existing conditions (including pregnancy and domestic violence), and expands access to millions, we cannot support a bill that denies women full access to health care. Join us and speak out today! Senator Gillibrand 202-224-4451| Senator Schumer 202-224-6542 | Take Action From Any State White House 202-456-1111 | Write My Congressperson 202-224-3121
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