Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel

Dania is a Senior Counsel for Health and Reproductive Rights. Her work focuses primarily on implementing health reform and expanding access to quality, affordable health care for women and their families. Prior to joining the Law Center, Dania worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Starting her work at SEIU in the research department, she became interested in expanding access to health care to low income families and spent a few years as Deputy Administrator of a health benefit program at SEIU, working to provide affordable health insurance to previously uninsured low wage workers and their families. After the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), she worked on implementing the law as Associate Director of Health Policy. Her background in the ACA includes insurance reforms, coverage expansions and delivery system reform, with particular expertise in employer benefits and insurance reforms. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Expert in: Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Medicaid & Other Public Funding, Health Care & Reproductive Rights

My Take

Tears of Relief for the Affordable Care Act

Posted by Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel | Posted on: June 29, 2012 at 02:15 pm

I cried a few times yesterday. Not bawling tears, but a few drops of relief. A few drops for those who have been standing up to fight for our health care. A few drops for my friends’ children who will grow up in a country that provides them with the resources they need to thrive. A few drops for the women whose lives will be saved by learning about a condition from a simple preventive service. A few drops for the uninsured who will finally have affordable coverage in 2014. And a few drops for myself.

The promises of the Affordable Care Act are safe for one more day. There are so many promises of the law. These are a just a few promises the law makes to me:

I will not be denied coverage for a preexisting condition.
I will have access to preventive services without copays or deductibles.
When I become eligible for Medicare (in many, many, many years), I will not have to worry about a gap in my prescription drug coverage.
My friends don’t need to worry that their young children will hit an annual or lifetime dollar limit on their insurance.

Billion with a B: Health Care Law Saves Medicare Enrollees $3.7 Billion

Posted by Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel | Posted on: June 25, 2012 at 04:33 pm

The health care law is saving money for seniors.

Let me reword that.

The health care law is saving a lot of money for seniors.

By a lot, I mean $3.7 billion in savings for seniors and people with disabilities in Medicare. Yes, that is billion with a b. Those billions of dollars are being saved because the health care law is reducing and ultimately eliminating the donut hole in Medicare Part D that left seniors with a gap in prescription drug coverage.

Protecting Our Hearts, With No Cost Sharing

Posted by Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel | Posted on: May 18, 2012 at 10:38 am

I couldn’t remember the last time I had my cholesterol screened.

That probably isn’t a good thing given that there is a history of heart disease in my family. But I kept coming up with excuses not to get tested – I already have a lot of doctor appointments - I don’t have a primary care provider - I eat healthy - I’m too young to worry about cholesterol.

Then the health care law was passed and, after a few months, all new health plans had to provide certain preventive services with no cost sharing.

Eliminating the small copay for my preventive visit may not have been much, but it meant one less hurdle. I also started thinking about why these services are required to be provided with no cost sharing. Preventive services are important.

This Mother's Day, Here's What the Health Care Law is doing for Moms

Posted by Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel | Posted on: May 11, 2012 at 03:45 pm

This blog post is a part of NWLC’s Mother’s Day 2012 blog series. For all our Mother’s Day posts, please click here.

Many of my friends will celebrate their first Mother’s Day being a mom this year. Others have recently expanded their families or have a first child on the way.

I’m happy that all these kids were born after the health care law was passed – because that means my friends can be secure that their kids will have access to health care. That includes my friend Robyn, whose son Jax had to have heart surgery when he was only three months old. Without the health care law, Robyn would have to worry about Jax hitting a lifetime limit on his insurance or being denied coverage for having a pre-existing condition.

The health care law also improves the health of women – like my friend Robyn and all my friends who are new moms.

Preventive Care with No Cost Sharing for New and Expecting Moms

All new health plans are already providing preventive services – such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension screenings – with no cost sharing. Starting this August, the list of preventive services will expand to cover women’s health services including many services important to expecting and new moms. These services include:

Prenatal Care: Testing for gestational diabetes without cost sharing and a well-woman visit including prenatal care means that expecting moms will know what steps they need to take to have a healthy pregnancy.

Breastfeeding Support and Supplies: New moms will have access to lactation counseling and rental of breastfeeding supplies without copays or deductibles. In addition to the preventive services, employers are now required to provide a clean space—that is not a bathroom—for new moms to pump.

Contraceptive Coverage: The full range of FDA-approved contraceptive coverage, including birth control pills, rings, implants, tubal ligation and more will be provided by plans without cost sharing. This is important to new moms because birth control helps women plan pregnancies so moms can access preconception and prenatal care and space pregnancies to help have a healthy baby.

Race, Sex and Health Care: The Math Adds up to ACA

Posted by Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel | Posted on: April 27, 2012 at 11:17 am

National Women’s Law Center is proudly taking part in the Health Equity Can’t Wait! blog carnival celebrating National Minority Health Month. Participating bloggers are health, consumer, civil rights, and provider advocates committed to promoting health equity. You can find all the posts for the carnival here.

Women pay about $1 billion more for health care on the individual market just because they are women. Yet women are only paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. We are charged more and we are paid less.

And that’s only part of the problem. The wage gap is even greater for African American women and Hispanic women. But the cost of health care is still high. So what does that add up to?

Well, if you try to add up it all up, you find out that African American and Hispanic women are more likely to be uninsured than white women. You learn that African American women ages 45 to 64 are almost twice as likely to have a disability, handicap or chronic disease that limits activity compared to white women in the same age range. You discover that Latina women have higher rates of diabetes and hypertension. You read that older women of color are undertreated for their cancer pain. You realize that there is a problem.

Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel

My Take

Tears of Relief for the Affordable Care Act

Billion with a B: Health Care Law Saves Medicare Enrollees $3.7 Billion

Protecting Our Hearts, With No Cost Sharing

This Mother's Day, Here's What the Health Care Law is doing for Moms

Race, Sex and Health Care: The Math Adds up to ACA

How You Can Help

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Dania Palanker, Senior Counsel

My Take

Tears of Relief for the Affordable Care Act

Billion with a B: Health Care Law Saves Medicare Enrollees $3.7 Billion

Protecting Our Hearts, With No Cost Sharing

This Mother's Day, Here's What the Health Care Law is doing for Moms

Race, Sex and Health Care: The Math Adds up to ACA

How You Can Help

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