State of Women: NWLC Hosts State Partners in Washington, DC

The National Women’s Law Center hosted a daylong seminar in Washington, DC welcoming 18 state advocates from 10 states across the country to launch a new project, State of Women.

State of Women is designed to build a network of women’s health policy experts across the country to amplify support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to ensure women, in every state, benefit from the law.

While there are many provisions in the law that improve access to health coverage today—insurance companies can no longer drop someone from coverage when they become sick or exclude children with pre-existing conditions—many other provisions do not take effect until 2014. The implementation process between now and 2014 focuses largely on reforming the health insurance market, expanding Medicaid, and designing the state-based exchanges.

Women have much to gain from the law.  An analysis from the Commonwealth Fund shows that, when the law is fully implemented, nearly all of the 27 million working-age women who went without insurance in 2010 will gain more affordable, comprehensive coverage.  However, the success of many of these benefits and protections hinge on provisions that were explicitly left for states to decide.

State of Women recognizes the crucial role states will play in ensuring the law is implemented effectively and women benefit. The role of state advocates cannot be overstated; advocacy and direct engagement at every stage of implementation is a compelling factor in the overall success of the health law.

State of Women includes advocacy organizations in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Maine, Montana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.