By Megan Carpentier
Obama meets with Republicans today in a health-care summit. Women who helped put him in office expect him to step up and lead—on both access to quality care and access to abortion.
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed Bart Stupak’s anti-abortion amendment to the health care reform bill to come to a vote in 2009, it wasn’t the first time women’s health issues had been discussed in the context of health care reform. But, as with most debates in Washington, the intensity of the abortion debate sucked all the oxygen away from other unique issues facing women—particularly young women—in the health insurance market.
Not that abortion access is a minor issue to America’s women, young or old. Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak’s persistence in linking abortion access to health care access and his disingenuous insistence that somehow, some way, American tax dollars might be used to fund an abortion, have functioned as a rallying cry for conservatives already opposed to health care reform. And because Stupak’s pet amendment would amount to the broadest restriction on women’s access to abortion services since Roe v. Wade—and even cause women who need an abortion to save their own lives or because they are carrying a dead or dying fetus to face incredible hurdles and outright prohibitions—women’s groups have necessarily focused on preserving women’s long-held access to abortion services. Accordingly, the soundbite-driven media has treated abortion as the only issue for women in health care reform. Stupak has succeeded not just in promoting abortion as key to the health care reform debate; he’s succeeded in making it the biggest issue for women, and in taking away valuable resources from broader health care access issues.
President Obama’s proposed reforms to Congress’ proposed health care reforms mirrored the larger lack of attention to women’s issues in the bill. There wasn’t a word in the proposal about killing the Stupak abortion coverage amendment or the Nelson “compromise” amendment that was no better; no mention of an effective provision to eliminate gender discrimination in premium pricing, despite the significant loopholes in the House bill; no whisper of what will happen to Senator Barbara Mikulski’s provisions related to co-pay free health screenings for women.
Instead, there’s a plenty of specificity about how the affordability provisions and tax breaks will affect families of four, and little clarity on how smaller families or single women will have access to the tax breaks or affordable coverage. Obama’s new proposal focuses a great deal on the individual mandate and insurance rate-review provisions, talks at length about revenue generation, Medicare doughnut holes and anti-fraud provisions, but doesn’t manage to find space for contemplation of mandating contraception coverage.
The problem is that Obama’s proposal promises to incorporate parts of the House and Senate bills with his suggested additions—but he doesn’t suggest which pieces of the House and Senate bills will remain. Will he keep Stupak’s abortion language, or accept Nelson’s language or side with the many pro-choice women who helped elect him and prevent anti-choice partisans from imposing the most significant restrictions on abortion in a generation? Will Mikulski’s amendment on the specific health choices women need access to, including mammograms, survive the President’s scrutiny—let alone that of the House and Senate? Perhaps the answers will come out of Obama’s bipartisan health care meeting—but, in all likelihood, what few provisions there are aimed specifically at women’s disparate health care access will continue to be subject to the political process.
The statistics on health insurance for women remain grim—and unique to women. Around 18 percent of American women are without health insurance. More than half of women have problems accessing health care due to cost, despite the fact that they have health insurance. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia allow insurance companies to eliminate contraceptives from their drug coverage—and when they can, they sometimes do, despite the fact that covering contraception is decidedly cheaper than covering pregnancy or children. Of course, care during pregnancy is hardly a sure thing: 16 percent of women (including 23 percent of Hispanic women, 24 percent of African-American women and 30 percent of Native American women) don’t receive any prenatal care or get what care they do receive late.
Women face different issues than do men when it comes to health insurance in terms of access, cost and what we need covered. Yet, Obama’s plan remains seemingly one-size-fits-all. Women know too well that often means “one-size-fits-none.” While some women will benefit from increased access to the insurance market, a plan that doesn’t take into account the unique health care and health access challenges that women face will necessarily fall short of reforming the health insurance market in ways that provide women with equal, and equally useful, access to it.
Even as women look to reform to help improve access to the health care they need, the concern regarding abortion remains, and the lack of specificity on the abortion question hasn’t shielded the President’s plan from attack from anti-choice forces. On Tuesday, Stupak announced he would oppose the legislation because it doesn’t go far enough in keeping women from accessing abortion services. For Stupak, apparently, the most important part of reforming America’s health care system is making sure it limits as much as possible women’s access to a class of reproductive health coverage that he doesn’t believe they should exercise.
While maintaining access to abortion coverage is critically important, a health care reform program that fails to resolve many of the ongoing inequities in the health care system—be they for women, the poor or people of color—isn’t much of a reform at all. While mobilizing (through the Women’s Media Center among other groups) to push Congress to reconsider the abortion provisions inserted into the bill by anti-choice legislators, women need to also push to make sure the provisions for their health care access aren’t sacrificed on the altar of tax cuts and Medicare doughnut holes.
Obama can choose to exercise some political leadership on both women’s health access and access to abortion services on behalf of the voters that helped put him into office, or he can bow to the forces that refused to vote for him anyway. A year ago, Ms. magazine—to much criticism—ran a cover trumpeting Obama’s election with a mocked up picture of him wearing a T-shirt that said “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.” Now, more than at any other point of his presidency thus far, is time for him to either prove his feminist credentials, or relinquish his metaphorical T-shirt and, with it, the support of a large number of women voters.
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31 Comments
This is all very well and good; well written and precise BUT you gals better see the forest for the trees. Fight for health care IN GENERAL and don’t splinter yourselves into insignificantly small groups. These Republicans need their reptilian level brains hit with something they understand, the pocketbook. Tell the Democrats NOT ONE MORE DIME until they pass a health care bill.
@Meta:
Sorry, but I can not agree, women are not an “insignificantly small” splinter group. It is NOT health care in general (as you call it) if our health care needs are ignored.
A nice blog. I got benefited from the tips. Hope to learn more. Thanks………..
wao dats really very good.thanxs for this informative article.
So, read the bill if you get a chance and can translate the terrible language it is written it. take a look at Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services. WOW!
Health reform is quite a touchy subject. I’m not too sure where I stand. Thanks for the information.
In my opinion “health care reform” will only increase costs across the board. We already are seeing this with increased health insurance premiums. Keeping costs down is what should be important.
Maybe I am just a little ignorant still but I’m still unsure how the new health care reform will affect Americans.
I have had problems with my ears for a long while before and a few times, my insurance company gave me tremendous hassle about what they were going to cover and what they weren’t going to. In my opinion, I can’t really see how things (for me personally) could get any worse.
Mind you I am fine now but what about my friends and family and the other americans out there?
Lucy, in response to your post, here’s a blog that talks about who will be helped by the healthcare reform.
http://www.joshuajust.com/2010/07/affordable-comprehensive-medical-care/
Thanks for sharing, what a nice word..
I think health reform is the need of the hour. There are a lot of things that should be done for health reform.
I also do agree with the above comment that a lot of things that should be done for health reform. It’s a great project, because health is EVERYTHING. Thanks for gave me some food for thought.
I agree with Lory when she says ‘we are not an “insignificantly small” splinter group.’ In Boise we have the same problem. Sometimes, laws are generalized easily without thinking about one’s (in this women’s) personal needs.
over 18 percent of american women without health insurance!!!. I don’t know, but is it not a bit insane?
The health care is one of the biggest challenges not only for Obama but for every body want to be a president for the USA, its considered as one of the biggest internal problem.
In my humble opinion somebody is forgeting the big influence will have soon the spanish native speakers the country will have soon.
I agree as it’s a better idea but there is a need to reduce the cost of insurance premium and should have more awareness among people in this regard.
It always amazes me that these anti-choice organizations and their supporters don’t women to be able to have abortions if that’s there choice but 9 times out of 10 they are the very ones who complain about how Social programs that help support children.
Moreover, not only do they have a problem with abortions and contraceptives, but they have a problem with schools teaching sex education that provides youth with education about how to prevent unwanted pregnancies, oftentimes those sex education programs encourage abstinence but they still have a problem with it.
Does anyone else find this not only ironic but moronic at the same time???
I really dont know if I would agree.
Great post! I am in the field of medicine that’s why I can so relate to your post and I really love it. Health reform should be given much attention not just in certain countries but for the world especially the third world countries in which health is their number one issue due to poverty. Let’s just hope that world organizations would make their move in providing health reform in all countries.
Man… I dont know what or how the hell this is going to work out… its all a little too scary for me!
I agree that Obama must go ahead and fight for the health reform ideas he originally had when he was running for office as the majority has already voted for these same ideas or reform. Great post.
I understand what are you trying to implement. I am glad you have expressed your own idea and view point about this topic.
Unfortunately many reforms get bogged down by individual issues such as the one over access to abortion. But as you say, that cannot be a reason to stop the reform. On the flip-side, where there is significant opposition, it is reasonable to carefully examine any proposal before going ahead.
Personally I feel that women should have a choice, but I can also understand the moral dilemma that poses for those of us who believe that this is killing a living person and therefore needs to be outlawed.
However, if the majority of the population believes it is time to move on pro abortion then it is difficult to see why that majority should be completely denied by a minority.
As an outside observer from another country (Canada) I think that there is an overwhelming need for health care reform in the US. It’s not ethical to have to choose between health care and other life bills. There are certain things that the government should pay for you.
Although we only have just over 30 million tax payers here, every one has access to free universal health care. Considering the tax base in the USA is over 10x as much, health care access should be as ubiquitous as elementary school and high school access.
Women will not get real health reform until we reform this fundamental lack of respect for women
What is really needed is INSURANCE PROVDER and DRUG COMPANY reform. The doctors and patients are at their mercy.
I like Megan’s close with how now Obama, more than ever, needs to reveal his “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.” T-shirt now, or as those of you who have seen Zoolander, he can reveal the one Zoolander on the Time’s magazine cover in the movie! lol.
Wow, it really doesn’t take long for the insurance companies to find their little loop holes in Obama’s Healthcare reform does it?
The best thing that could happen for healthcare is to ban employer sponsored health plans. Give the employees the money that has otherwise been set aside for health benefits and allow them to shop their own insurance and medical providers. Once the insurance companies and doctors alike have to complete for business like every other private sector company, then you will finally see the prices go down. Simple economics. Right now, the consumer is so far removed from the buying decision that there’s no motivation for any price reductions. They have a captive audience.
There is to much focus just on abortion rather than on womens health issues in general. I cant help but agree that normally reforms means less money in our pocket and more in the governments coffer. Lets work out how to provide a proper health service for the entire nation that everybody can afford.