June 30th, 2009

The White House Administration has formed a group named the White House Team of State Legislators for Health Reform to solicit input from constituent healthcare groups. The goal is to report back suggestions, concerns and possible solutions to the White House as the administration works to craft health-care reform. Representative Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, has been selected as one of 32 state legislators nationwide to help President Obama reform health care and today held the second of several public meetings on Women’s Healthcare Reform.

A White House Representative assured all attendees on the call that this information would be thoroughly discussed and taken into consideration. Their hope is that the reform bill will be in the House and Senate by October 2009.

Dialogue Highlights (summarized):

Department of Welfare and Human Services

A representative brought up the point that Medicare covers Viagra in some cases for men but does not offer aid to women in need on contraceptives. There needs to be a compromise and fair balance established.

Whatever plan and reform is brought about needs to have benefits that adequately reflect the needs of women; including but not limited to: osteoporosis, pregnancy and breast and cervical cancer.

Women’s Wellness Project

A representative voiced concern for how reproductive health, namely abortions will play out in the national debate specifically regarding the Hyde Amendment which is the provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. She expressed a desire for either the expansion or elimination of this amendment.

Planned Parenthood

A representative stated that family planning is a major piece in these clinics and for many people it is their only provider and main source of healthcare. These programs and clinics need to be considered and taken seriously in reform.

Women’s Way

After hosting a Women’s Issue Summit this past Thursday, she had a grasp on the hardest issues facing these women who are struggling to meet their basic needs and having to choose between paying their co-pays and providing dinner for their families that night. Increasing access to reproductive healthcare by creating ways to bring it to those most in need would be beneficial. Gender rating and the process for pre-existing conditions needs to be eliminated and re-worked.

Health Access Network

A representative voiced affordability concerns.  It was suggested that there should be legislation for an out of pocket maximum for older Americans.  The possibility of providing incentives for middle class individuals to pick up the costs for long term care by offering tax incentives like many other states.

Other Comments:

Many of the groups agreed that Massachusetts is a microcosm of what Pennsylvania should be moving towards for health reform.

Comprehensive benefits are a necessity.

If we were to start being proactive about illnesses and diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis by paying doctors to offer preventative actions instead of simply treatment actions we would be able to save in healthcare costs.

Main Theme for Healthcare Reform – Access and Cost

The two go hand in hand and drive each other.  The misconception that because an individual has an insurance card does not mean they have access to care. It is one thing to have the card but completely another to have a place to use it.

1/3 of houses in America are run by single mothers. What happens to the woman effects the entire household therefore maximizing women’s healthcare is an investment in society as a whole.

Women’s healthcare reform needs to be evaluated in an innovative and progressive fashion. Reform should be made from the perspective of the woman and the most efficient and accessible way to go about it.

For example, in Philadelphia, the mothers who tested positive for HIV were so busy tending to their HIV positive children; they had no time to tend to their own needs and health. They were able to bring in adult care doctors into the children’s HIV clinics turning it into a family clinic so that both the mother and the child were able to be treated simultaneously.

Graduated yet rational thinking such as this will be the solution to women’s healthcare reform.