Schakowsky Op-Ed: Under Obamacare, being a woman no longer a pre-existing condition
The Chicago Business
On Oct. 1, a room packed with uninsured people, health care providers, state officials, health advocates and community organizations joined Gov. Pat Quinn to cheer the opening of the much-anticipated state health insurance marketplace, GetCoveredIllinois.gov.
Women especially have reason to celebrate. In Illinois and around the country, women already are benefiting from Obamacare and will continue to gain crucial protections and better access to quality, affordable care as the law goes into full effect.
According to a 2011 analysis by the National Women's Law Center, 727,000 women are uninsured in our state. That figure represents an incredible 18 percent of Illinois women, including 25 percent of black women and 36 percent of Latinas. Because of Obamacare, many women and their children are newly eligible for Medicaid. Now even more will be able to easily shop and compare quality, affordable insurance plans online. Many will be eligible for federal subsidies to help cover the monthly cost of their new plan.
All plans on the new exchange are required to include 10 essential health benefits including prescription drugs, maternity care, hospitalization, preventive services and mental health care services. Well-woman exams, contraceptives, family planning and STD screenings and other preventive services will be covered without charge. We women really did win big with this law.
NO MORE DENIALS
At long last, under Obamacare, insurance companies can no longer consider being female a “pre-existing condition.” Even a C-section, treatment for sexual violence and pregnancy have been reasons enough to deny coverage. Until now, women have been paying up to 48 percent more for health insurance than men. Those days are over. Insurers are no longer permitted to charge us more solely because we are built with different parts.
The law helps moms, too. Obamacare stipulates that the cost of breastfeeding equipment and breastfeeding counseling be available to women without out-of-pocket charges. On top of that, employers now are required to provide breastfeeding mothers "reasonable break time" and a private place for them to pump during the workday.
Millions of people have shown they want affordable and quality health care. Just look at the numbers. In the first 24 hours, HealthCare.gov received more than 4.7 million visitors, more than 190,000 phone calls and more than 100,000 webchats. And now Republicans want to delay this law. They've even tacked on a yearlong “conscience clause,” which would allow bosses to deny their female workers certain types of birth control and their ability to use company benefits on contraceptives.
My Republican colleagues in Washington may shut down the government, but they can't stop progress in Illinois. Each day that goes by, thousands of men and women visit GetCoveredIllinois.gov to see which affordable, quality plan works best for them.