Concurrent resolution expressing the support of the Congress regarding the need to ensure health care for women and health care for all in national health care reform

2008·0.27 MB·English

by  United States. Congress. House

IV
110t2hdcSoesnsgironess H. CON. RES. 400
ExpressingthesupportoftheCongressregardingtheneedtoensureheahh
careforwomenandhealthcareforallinnationalhealthcarereform.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July31,2008
Ms.SCHAKOWSKY(forherself,Mr.HODES,Mrs.JONESofOhio,Mrs.Capps,
Ms.Schwartz,Ms.LindaT.SanchezofCalifornia,Mr.Waxman,Ms.
DeLauro,Ms.Sous,Mr.Rothman,Mrs.Christensen,Ms.Norton,
Ms.Castor,Ms.McCollumofMinnesota,Ms.SLAUGHTER,Mr.HiN-
CHEY,Ms. BORDALLO,Ms. EDWARDSofMaryland,Ms. Shea-Porter,
Ms. Sutton, Mr. Moran of Vu-ginia, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr.
BishopofGeorgia, Ms. Baldwin, andMr. Stark) submittedthefol-
lowingconcurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
EnergyandCommerce
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the support ofthe Congress regarding the need
to ensure health care for women and health care for
allinnationalhealthcarereform.
Whereas women are the health care decision-makers for
themselvesandtheirfamihes;
"Whereas women want affordable health care they can count
on throughout life transitions: starting a family, job
changes,part-timeandfull-timework, divorce, caringfor
anelderlyorsickfamilymember,havingamajordisease,
retiring;
Whereaswomenwithgoodhealthcoverageworryaboutkeep-
ingtheircoverageandtheirpro\iders;
Whereas women are more hkely to seek essential preventive
androutinecare, aremorehkelytohaveachronichealth
condition, andaremorehkelytotakeaprescription drug
onadailvbasis;
Whereas women pay 68 percent more than men for out-of-
pocket medical costs, due in large part to reproductive
healthcareneeds;
Whereasmorethanhalfoftheunderinsured(53percent) and
two-thirds of the uninsured (68 percent) forgo needed
careandabouthalfoftheunderinsured(45percent) and
uninsured (51 percent) report difficulty paying medical
bills;
Whereas in 2004, one in sixwomenwith individual coverage
reported postponing or going without needed care be-
causeshecouldnotaffordit;
Whereas high-deductible health plans are often targeted to
young women as an inexpensive health coverage option,
butfailto coverpregnancy-relatedcare, the mostexpen-
sive health event mostyoungfamihes face andthe lead-
ingcauseforhospitalstays;
Whereas 75,000,000 adults (42 percentoftheunder-65 pop-
ulation) hadeitherno insurance orinadequate insurance
in2007,upfrom35percentin2003;
Whereas 47,000,000 people, nearly 16 percent ofthe United
States population are uninsured, including 17,000,000
adult women ages 18-64 (18 percent) and 9,000,000
children(12percent);
Whereas the Institute of Medicine estimated that lack of
health insurance coverage resulted in 18,000 excess
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deathsintheUnitedStatesin2000 (anumberwliichthe
Urban Institute estimates grewto 22,000 by 2006) and
that acquiring liealth insurance reduces mortality rates
fortheuninsuredby10to 15percent;
Whereas uninsured women with breast cancer are 30 to 50
percent more hkely to die from the disease, and unin-
suredwomen are 3 times less hkely to have had a Pap
testinthelastthreeyears,witha60percentgreaterrisk
oflate-stagecervicalcancer;
Whereas 13 percent of all pregnant women are uninsured,
makingthemlesshkelyto seekprenatalcareinthefirst
trimesterandtoreceivetheoptimalnumberofvisitsdur-
ingtheirpregnancyand31 percentmorelikelytoexperi-
enceanadversehealthoutcomeaftergivingbirth;
Whereasthelackorinadequateuseofprenatalcareisassoci-
atedwithpregnancy-relatedmortahty2to3timeshigher
and infant mortality 6 times higherthan that ofwomen
receivingearlyprenatal care, asweU asincreasedriskof
lowbirthweightandpretermbirth;
Whereas heart diseaseistheleadingcause ofdeathforboth
womenandmen,butwomenarelesshkelytoreceivehfe-
style counsehng, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures,
and cardiac rehabilitation andmore hkelyto die orhave
a second heart attack, demonstrating inequahties in ac-
cesstocare;
Whereas healthcare disparitiespersist, leavingHispanic and
Native American women and children 3 times andAfri-
can-Americansnearlytwiceaslikelytobeuninsuredthan
non-Hispanicwhites;
Whereasin2005, nearly80percentofthefemalepopulation
with HIV was black or Hispanic and HIV/AIDS inci-
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dence rates are dramatically higher for black and His-
panic women and adolescents (60.2 and 15.8 per
100,000, respectively) than forwhitewomen and adoles-
cents(3.0per100,000);
Whereas women are less Ukely than men to be insured
throughtheirjobsandmorehkelytobeinsured asade-
pendent, makingthem morevulnerable to insurance loss
intheeventofdivorceordeathofaspouse;
Whereas 64percentofuninsuredwomen areinfamiheswith
atleastoneadultworkingfull-time;
Whereas health care costs are increasingly unaffordable for
workingfamihes andemployers,with employer-sponsored
health insurance premiums increasing 87 percent since
2000;
Whereas America's 9,100,000 women-owned businesses em-
ploy 27,500,000 people, contribute $3,600,000,000,000
to the economy, and face serious obstacles in obtaining
affordablehealthcoverage.
Whereas the lack of affordable health coverage creates bar-
riersforwomenwhowantto changejobsorcreatetheir
ownsmallbusinesses;
—
Whereashealth careprofessionals andworkers asignificant
—
portion ofwhom are women have a stake in achieving
reform that allows them to provide the highest quality
carefortheirpatients;
Whereas56percentofaUcaregiversarewomen;
WhereasalthoughtheUnitedStatesspendstwiceasmuchon
health care as the median industriahzed nation, the Na-
tion'shealth care system ranksnearthebottomonmost
measures of health status among the 30 developed na-
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tions ofthe OECD and 37th in overall health perform-
anceamong191nations;and
Whereas the Institute ofMedicine estimatesthatthe cost of
achieving full insurance coverage in the United States
wouldbelessthanthelossineconomicproductivityfrom
existingcoveragegaps:Now,therefore,beit
1 Resolved by theHouse ofRepresentatives (the Senate
2 concurring), That the Congress commits to pass, and
3 urges the President sign into law, within the next 18
4 months,legislationthatguaranteeshealthcareforwomen
5 andhealthcareforallandthat
6 (1) recognizes the special role thatwomen play
7 as health care consumers, caregivers, andproviders;
8 (2) guarantees inclusion ofhealth carebenefits
9 essential to achieving and maintaining good health,
10 including comprehensive reproductive health, preg-
11 nancy-related,andinfantcare;
12 (3) promotes primary and preventive care, in-
13 eluding family planning, contraceptive equity, and
14 carecontinuity;
15 (4)providesachoiceofpubhcandprivateplans
16 and direct access to a choice ofdoctors and health
17 care providers to ensure continuity ofcoverage and
18 adehverysystemthatmeetstheneedofwomen;
19 (5) eliminates health disparities in coverage,
20 treatment, andoutcomesonthebasisofgender, cul-
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6 3 flDTS Da017533 7
1 ture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health
2 status,andsexualorientation;
3 (6) shares responsibiUty for financing among
4 employers, individuals, and the Government while >
5 takingintoaccounttheneedsofsmallbusinesses;
6 (7) ensuresthataccesstohealthcareisafford-
7 able;
8 (8)enhancesquahtyandpatientsafety;
9 (9) ensures a sufficient supplyofquahfiedpro-
10 viders tlu-ough expanded medical and public health
11 educationandadequatereimbursement;and
12 (10)promotesadministrationefficiency,reduces
13 unnecessarypaperwork, and is easyfor health care
14 consumersandproviderstoutihze.
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