Senate Considers Bill to Guarantee Coverage for Women
In the wake of the passage of the Republican health care bill, members of the Senate are moving to mitigate its impact on women.
by Caitlin Martin
From https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capitol-Senate.JPG
Now that the Republican healthcare bill has passed the House, it moves to the Senate. Some members of the Senate are proposing bills that mitigate the damage that the House version of the bill will cause. One item of interest in the healthcare bill is the move by the House to allow states to apply for waivers that would impact basic coverage — one example of this is maternity care. If this provision remains in the bill, it is likely that premiums for this kind of coverage will be much higher. Other kinds of care for women, including preventive services could also be affected.
S.R. 1045 — A Bill to Guarantee Coverage of Certain Women’s Preventive Services Under All Health Plans was introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) on May 4, 2017. This bill has 47 sponsors — 45 Democrats and 2 Independents. No Republicans have signed onto the bill.
How does this affect me?
This bill would require that preventive services for women’s healthcare be covered under all health plans — states would not be able to apply for a waiver to eliminate this coverage.
What happens next?
More details on this bill are forthcoming — the legislation is still very new, but this is a bill to watch. It’s been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The Chairman of the Committee is Sen Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is the Ranking Member. Other members of the Committee are:
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
- Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO)
- Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT)
- Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
- Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
- Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA)
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
- Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
- Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
- Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
- Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA)
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
- Sen. Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)
What can I do?
Text RESIST to 50409 to tell the Senate what you think about the bill. Or read on to learn more about the A.H.C.A.
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