House Healthcare Bill Rewards Activism on Women's Issues

Article here. Excerpt:

'Women may seem to be the driving force of health reform, given all the attention recently paid to gender disparities in insurance premiums. In fact, the massive health reform bill unveiled by the House of Representatives yesterday contains several sections that pertain just to women in terms of abortion coverage, pregnancy services, and prohibitions against excluding those with pre-existing conditions, specifically mentioning women who've been victims of domestic violence. While the bill does provide maternity coverage as part of a basic benefits package that insurers must provide in their coverage, it specifically says that public funding can't be used for abortions--which would include coverage under the public option--except where it's already allowed, such as in cases of rape or incest or where a mother's life is at risk.
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Indeed, women have been more successful at lobbying for their health needs. Richards ticked off an impressive list of Planned Parenthood's health reform lobbying efforts: 150 op-eds published in newspapers, 50,000 letters and E-mails sent to members of Congress, meetings this week--accompanied by 100 donors and affiliate heads--with the White House and Congress. She says she's pleased to see the attention being paid so far to women's health issues in health reform and adds that keeping abortion access at the status quo is an acceptable compromise--though she's keeping her eye on Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak and other members of Congress who are pushing to add amendments that ban federally funded insurance companies from offering abortion coverage, even if they set aside private funds for the coverage.'