Women Still Losing in Health Care Reform

This weekend's long-awaited passage of health care reform by the House also included one unexpected provision: the Stupak amendment, which would restrict insurance coverage of abortions. I am pro-choice, but my opposition to the Stupak amendment is based on issues well beyond that.

At least part of the reason many women -- myself included -- backed health care reform was because of insurance companies' appalling double standard. For years, insurance companies have been blithely charging women higher premiums, writing maternity care out of policies, and refusing to pay for a host of women's health concerns by classifying them as "pre-existing conditions." The Stupak amendment reinforces that old standard.

It is looking more and more likely that the Stupak amendment won't be part of the final health care package once the legislation emerges from conference. The Washington Post reported on Monday that Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) has collected more than 40 signatures -- enough to kill the measure -- from House Democrats promising to vote against the bill if the final language includes the Stupak amendment. And, Plumline notes that Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said she was confident that by the time the bill makes it out of conference, the amendment will have been removed.

But, that the Stupak amendment made it into the House's legislation at all shows that, even with reform, women's health care, particularly women's reproductive health care, is still being treated as something outside of the sphere of normal health care concerns. Unfortunately, that's not something that we can just write out in conference.