Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst

Danielle Garrett is a Health Policy Analyst for Health and Reproductive Rights. She has a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in Government and Women’s Studies and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas. She has worked in women’s health and reproductive rights advocacy since college with organizations such as Jane’s Due Process and NARAL Pro-Choice Texas. Danielle enjoys playing guitar, photography, eating seafood, and watching Longhorn football (Hook ‘em!). Once all Americans have access to affordable health care and women’s reproductive rights are secured, she plans to move to the Florida Keys and open a shrimp shack.

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My Take

In the Weeds: What’s Important for Women in New Health Care Regulations

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: October 31, 2011 at 04:58 pm

Along with checking Facebook and reading the Huffington Post while I drink my coffee in the mornings, I also peruse the Federal Register. Now I’m sure you don’t think this is thrilling reading, and I’m sure I wouldn’t either if I didn’t have to do it for my job, but there is actually a lot of important stuff in there! Right now, federal agencies are deciding how the new health care law should be implemented and they are issuing rules and guidance that can have an enormous impact on women’s access to affordable health care. For example, comments were due on October 31st on proposed rules regarding the operation of the new health insurance exchanges, the advanced premium tax credits, and the Medicaid expansion.

While this set of proposed rules has important implications for all health care consumers, we believe women in particular have much at stake in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2014, over 7 million currently uninsured women will be eligible for premium tax credits and over 10 million will be newly eligible for Medicaid. Women comprise a disproportionate share of health care consumers, often managing multiple chronic conditions and paying more out-of-pocket costs, causing their health care to be prohibitively expensive and frequently unaffordable. In 2008, one in four women reported going without needed health care because they could not afford it. A system that provides easy access to affordable coverage is crucial for women.

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Tags: Affordable Care Act (ACA), Health Care Reform, Health Care & Reproductive Rights | 1 comment

Health Insurance Numbers Remain Bleak, but the Affordable Care Act Provides Hope

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: September 14, 2011 at 02:37 pm

On Tuesday, the US Census Bureau released new data on health coverage in the US and the numbers were not encouraging. The data showed an increase in the number of women lacking health insurance, bringing the number of uninsured women to the highest level in over a decade. Not surprisingly in this economy, fewer women had employer based insurance coverage and public programs like Medicaid were not able to make up for the coverage lost in the private sector. NWLC’s analysis shows that for women ages 18 to 64:

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Tags: Affordable Care Act (ACA), Census Bureau and Census Data, Medicaid | Add new comment

Preserving Medicaid for the Present and the Future

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: August 24, 2011 at 10:44 am

I write about Medicaid fairly often and just once I wish I could spend a whole blog post extolling Medicaid’s virtues. I would love to focus on the 30 million children who have access to vaccines and regular checkups through the program or the 17 million women who, because of Medicaid, know that they don’t have to make a choice between caring for their own health and putting food on their children’s tables. I’d like to reflect on the number of unplanned pregnancies that have been avoided because of the successful Medicaid family planning program or the elderly Americans who might not be able to afford long term care if it weren’t for Medicaid.

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Tags: Medicaid & Other Public Funding, Health Care & Reproductive Rights | Add new comment

Preserving Medicaid for the Present and the Future

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: July 29, 2011 at 09:32 am

I wish that, on the anniversary of the Medicaid program, I could spend a whole blog post extolling Medicaid’s virtues. I would love to focus on the 30 million children who have access to vaccines and regular checkups through the program or the 17 million women who, because of Medicaid, know that they don’t have to make a choice between caring for their own health and putting food on their children’s tables. The anniversary seems like a good time to reflect on the number of unplanned pregnancies that have been avoided because of the successful Medicaid family planning program or the elderly Americans who might not be able to afford long term care if it weren’t for Medicaid.

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Medicaid: The More You Know...

Posted by Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst | Posted on: July 07, 2011 at 10:05 am

Hopefully by now we have convinced you how important Medicaid is to many Americans, including women, children, the elderly, and Americans with disabilities. But we aren't the only ones blogging about Medicaid. Blog carnivals, like the one going on now over at Mom's Rising are great because they get the word out about the current threats to Medicaid, but they also help advocates stay informed on the issues, which is important, because the more you know, the more prepared you'll be to defend Medicaid against the current attacks. And this is going to take a lot of work. As you've probably heard, Medicaid is being attacked on many fronts. In addition to federal proposals to cap or block-grant the program, states have also begun trying to slash Medicaid. Arizona has already cut eligibility for childless adults and New Jersey has a proposal on the table to turn away low income parents.

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Tags: Medicaid & Other Public Funding | Add new comment