Tag Archives: insurance

You’ve probably seen news reports on the lawsuits challenging the health care law across the country. Two courts of appeals have held that the health care law is constitutional, while one has disagreed. Today, the Supreme Court announced it will hear two of these cases and issue a decision by June 2012.

To make clear what’s at stake, I’ve recorded a short video explaining the legal challenges, why we think the law is constitutional, and what women could lose if the law is struck down.

Click to watch our video about the health care law litigation.

The health care law puts an end to insurance companies‘ practice of treating women like a pre-existing condition. Already, the law is helping women and their families by making it illegal for insurance companies to drop people once they get sick, prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions, and ensuring that new health plans provide no-cost preventive health care services such as mammograms and pap smears. By 2014, it will expand Medicaid coverage to 8.2 million more women, guarantee maternity coverage, and end the practice of charging women more than men for the same insurance. All of this and more is at stake in the Supreme Court.

Once you’ve watched the video, please visit our special page dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on the latest news about the health care law litigation.Thanks for all you do for women and families.

http://action.nwlc.org/site/R?i=O1L5xqvxpetjLj_CH-OqLQ

Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin
Vice President and General Counsel
National Women’s Law Center

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

usa.gov

11/07/2011 Nativegrl77

What will be on my election ballot Nov. 8?

Test your flu I.Q. today.

Visit Military Homefront to find a list of events in honor of Military Family
Month.They also have information about counseling
services, family centers, child care, and more. Find services for
military families.

The
Pink Ribbon
Sunday Program provides leaders like you with the free
resources to help educate the women in your church and community about
mammography. Order your free
resources now to help you plan a mammography awareness
activity.

What is National Drug Facts Week?

Medicare beneficiaries can make changes to their prescription
and health plans between October 15 and December 7, 2011. These changes could
result in savings on medical costs, or increased access to new benefits such as
wellness visits and preventive care services.

Learn more about changing your Medicare health
plan.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Them What They Did Was Wrong …Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

10/17/2011 Nativegrl77

Speaker Boehner and his allies in the House of Representatives acted shamefully: they passed H.R. 358, a dangerous bill that would undermine women’s health and even put women’s lives at risk. As we told you earlier this week, H.R. 358 is so extreme that some women facing pregnancy complications could die as a result.

The bill is not expected to pass the Senate, and President Obama has promised to veto it even if it does, but this vote was more than symbolic — these provisions are likely to surface again, either as standalone legislation or as amendments to other bills.

Put your Member of Congress on notice. Find out how she or he voted, and let’s express our thanks to those champions who stood up for women’s health and make clear our disappointment with the others.

WWW.NWLC.ORG

It’s obvious that Americans want Congress to work on creating jobs and helping our ailing economy, yet Speaker Boehner and his supporter STILL focus their energies on attacking women’s health. H.R. 358 would:Prevent purchase of health insurance in the new Exchanges that includes abortion care, meaning that millions of women would either be prevented from purchasing insurance plans that cover abortion or would lose the coverage they currently have.
Allow hospitals to refuse to perform emergency abortions, letting them deny emergency abortions to women whose life or health could be saved by the procedure.
Take away existing health insurance coverage, opening an enormous loophole in the new health care law that would allow states to broaden refusal laws so that insurance companies in their state could deny women the access to contraception without co-pays that we secured, with your help, over the summer!
Please thank the leaders who stood against this dangerous piece of legislation, and put the others on notice that we’re watching in case these provisions surface again. With your help, we’ll make sure that H.R. 358’s shameful assault on women’s health does NOT become the law of the land.

Thank you for everything you do to protect women’s access to reproductive health care.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Your support allows us to continue our work for women and their families. Support our work today!

Health Care for America Now … Melinda Gibson – Find an Occupy Together event

10/12/2011 Nativegrl77

It began on Wall Street
and now has spread to hundreds of cities around the country. The Occupy Wall Street movement gives voice to the anger of families and small businesses struggling to make ends meet while the richest 1% cut corners, cut jobs and raise prices. Health care activists know that the health insurers are some of Wall Street’s greediest players.

HCAN‘s Ethan Rome has a new piece on the Huffington Post on the nationwide “Occupy” protests and the role of the health insurance companies in sabotaging
our economy:

“America’s families and small businesses are barely hanging on while
the Wall Street-run health insurance profit machines have been jacking
up rates and providing less care. That’s why it makes sense for Occupy
Wall Street protesters to occupy them as well.

Much has been said about the banks and credit card companies that are
headquartered on Wall Street. The health insurance companies’ relentless
pursuit of profit and callous disregard for people offers another
window into how big corporations have abused people and twisted the
economy to serve their own interests.

Health
insurance companies make excessive profits, hoard massive amounts of
cash, overcharge their customers and give their top executives obscene
paychecks.“

We’re
working to spread the word about Occupy Wall Street to fellow health
care activists. Act now and share Ethan’s piece with anyone who you
think needs to read more about health care and this important movement.

Our slogan from the health care reform fight is as true today as it was in 2009: “If the insurance companies win, we lose.”

Now is the time to spread the word.

In Solidarity,

Melinda Gibson

Health Care for America Now

P.S. You can read Ethan’s full post here.

P.P.S. Click here to find an Occupy Together event near you.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Big News for Women’s Health – Birth Control Without Co-Pays Now a Reality

08/02/2011 Nativegrl77


	We Got you Covered!



	Thank Secretary Sebelius for making contraception without co-pays a reality.

While we are all focused on the debt ceiling deal in Washington — and we will provide you with more information later today on the painful and unfair cuts and the harm they will do to women’s health and the well-being of their families — we also have big news to report on a victory you’ve helped us secure.

Over 60,000 of you signed our petition to support no-cost birth control, and earlier today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is adopting expert recommendations to require health insurers to cover contraception, along with a number of other preventive health services for women, without charging women co-payments. We got you covered — birth control without a co-pay will soon be a reality!

Thank HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for maving women’s health a huge step forward www.nwlc.org

For many years, the National Women’s Law Center has been working to get contraception covered in all health insurance plans, and without you, we would not have been able to say — we got you covered. Help us mark this important step forward for women’s health — join us in thanking Secretary Sebelius for this landmark decision and urge her to ensure that all women can benefit from it . www.nwlc.org

This decision is a milestone in the effort to improve the health and lives of women and their families and underscores the real and tangible impact the new health care law will have on women’s lives. At the same time, HHS is unfortunately considering a proposal to exempt some religious employers from providing contraceptive services, and we will work to ensure that all women are guaranteed this vital coverage.

The HHS announcement expands the list of preventive health services that insurance companies will be required to be offer at no cost to the individual. It now will include contraception, yearly well-woman visits, support for breast feeding, counseling for sexually transmitted infections, and screening and counseling for domestic violence, among others.

Thank HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for this huge step moving women’s health forward and urge her to make sure that all women are able to access this vital coverage.

And thank you for all that you do for women and girls.

Sincerely,