HEALTH CARE REFORM

The House of Representatives and Senate have passed bills that would make major changes in the availability and affordabilitiy of health insurance for Americans. Health care reform is complex and involves many issues and interested parties and this is the first time that comprehensive health care legislation has passed both houses of Congress after many attempts over the past several decades.

The House Bill (Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962) and the Senate Bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R.3590) both expand coverage of health insurance, establish specific requirements for health insurance, provide additional financing for health care, and expand public health programs. Provisions that are in both bills include:

• Federal standards for health insurance such as requirements that insurance companies could not deny coverage because of a person’s medical condition; could not charge higher premiums because of a person’s sex or health status; and could not rescind coverage when a person became sick or disabled. Provision requiring basic benefits to be included in all insurance.
• Limitations on insurers’ profits by requiring them to spend a certain percent of every premium dollar on health care
• Requirements that most Americans have health insurance, thus adding millions of people to number covered.
• Expansion of Medicaid and subsidies for private coverage for low- and middle-income people; expansion of Medicare prescription drug benefits.

However, there are significant differences between the two bills, which will need to be resolved before a final bill is presented for President Obama’s signature. Some of the differences are:

• How health care reform will be funded
• The availability of a government-run health care plan
• The type of “health care exchanges” and insurance products that will be available on such exchanges.
• How the basic benefits that will be included in all insurance are determined and what they would be; provisions regarding insurance coverage for abortion; provisions regarding preventive care and wellness programs
• Changes in Medicare and Medicaid payments for services
• Provisions regarding improving quality of performance by health care providers
• Provisions regarding long term care

A side-by-side comparison of the two bills is available from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

If you are interested in learning more about health care reform, how it will affect you and your family, special issues about health insurance care coverage for women, here are resources to help answer your questions:

• Basics of Health Care Reform by the Kaiser Family Foundation
• Implications for Women's Access to Coverage & Care, Brief by the Kaiser Family Foundation
• Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women, (September 2008) and Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition , National Women's Law Center (October 2009)
  Reports by the National Women's Law Center
• Uninsured Young Adults: Who They Are and How They Might Fare Under Health Care Reform , Brief by the Kaiser Family Foundation

You can also voice your concern about your need for health care reform legislation by contacting your elected official for Virginia:

	President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20300 Comments: (202) 456-1111       Switchboard (202) 456-1414 Fax: (202) 456-2461 president@whitehouse.gov
	Senator Mark Warner 459A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-2023       Fax: 202-224-6295 warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
	Senator James Webb 248 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-4024       Toll Free: (866) 507-1570       Fax: (202) 228-6363 webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm
	Representative Robert Wittman, 1st District 1318 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4261       Fax: (202)-225-4382
	Representative Glenn Nye III, 2nd District 116 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202) 225-4215       Fax: (202) 225-4218
	Representative Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, 3rd District 1201 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-8351       Fax: (202) 225-8354
	Representative J. Randy Forbes, 4th District 2438 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225 – 6365       Fax: (202) 226 - 1170
	Representative Tom Perriello, 5th District 1520 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-4711      Toll-free (888) 4-TOM4US (888-486-6487)       Fax: (202) 225-5681
	Representative Bob Goodlatte, 6th District 2240 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-5431       Fax: (202) 225-9681
	Representative Eric Cantor, 7th District 329 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2815       Fax: (202) 225-0011
	Representative James Moran, 8th District 2239 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-4608 (202) 225-4376       Fax: (202) 225-0017
	Representative Rick Boucher, 9th District 2187 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-3861       Fax: (202) 225-0442
	Representative Frank Wolf, 10th District 241 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-5136       Fax: (202) 225-0437
	Representative Gerald . “Gerry” Connolly, 11th District 327 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-1492       Fax: (202) 225-3071
	E-mail your representative

The Virginia General Assembly will convene on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 in Richmond. We will be posting information about legislation of importance to women and girls’ health and well being after the session starts.

You can find out more about legislation, how to contact your Senator or Delegate, meetings and events at http://legis.state.va.us/