Women's Health Amendment

Yesterday, President Obama made an announcement that took the responsibility from certain religiously-affiliated employers and gave it to insurance companies for covering contraception with no co-pays or deductibles. This accommodation will protect women's access to birth control and without extra cost, regardless of where they work. We will closely monitor the implementation of this new rule and work to make sure that all women have access to this essential health benefit.

However, opponents of birth control in Congress are still focused on taking away access to contraception introducing extreme legislation that threatens health across the board. The pieces of legislation range from allowing any employer, regardless of whether it is a religious entity, to deny coverage of contraception to giving employers the right to refuse coverage of any health care service they find religiously or morally objectionable.

They are playing politics with women's health – and it would hurt everyone. Tell your Senators to reject all extreme legislation that would take away women's access to birth control without a co-pay, and other needed health care. Read more »

Last week, there was a hearing in Congress entitled “Do New Health Law Mandates Threaten Conscience Rights and Access to Care?” How about an alternative that really addresses what this is all about: “Are religious employers entitled to impose their “values” on their employees?” This hearing focused on the Affordable Care Act and the requirement that all health plans cover contraceptives. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule in August that exempted a narrow class of employees from having to comply with the law. Only employers who hire and serve people of the same religion, and have the purpose of instilling religious values qualify for the exemption. Read more »

Today, the House Rules Committee is expected to take up H.R. 358, the misnamed Protect Life Act, meaning it could be on the floor for a vote as early Thursday. H.R. 358 would prevent women from purchasing health insurance plans that cover abortion and would significantly expand refusal laws that allow women to be denied they abortion care they need. Read more »

New jobs? Not yet. Improved economy? Debatable. Attacks on women's health? Non-stop.

Attacking women's ability to obtain reproductive health care services remains one of Speaker Boehner's top priorities. Tomorrow, Boehner and the House leadership will bring to a vote a dangerous bill that will undermine women's health and even put women's lives at risk.

Tell your Representative to protect women's health by voting NO on this harmful piece of legislation TODAY. Read more »

 Greater protections against insurance company abuses.

• No More Rescissions: Insurance companies are prohibited from dropping your coverage if you become sick.
• No More Lifetime LIMITS: Insurance companies are prohibited from limiting the amount of money they will pay for your benefits over your lifetime.
• No More Annual Caps: Insurance companies are prohibited from limiting the amount of money they will pay for benefits during one year. During 2011, annual limits cannot be lower than $750,000 & are completely prohibited by 2014.
• No More Doctor’s Note To Visit The Ob-Gyn: The new health care law allows women to have “direct access” to this type of health care. Insurance companies are prohibited from requiring women to get referrals from their doctor for obstetrical & gynecological care.

Women’s Equality Day, marking the anniversary of the ratification of the 19^th Amendment giving women the right to vote, is this Friday. The long and continuing fight for women’s rights has produced real gains – but women still have a long way to go, and many of the key laws that have improved women’s health and economic security are under attack. Read more »

Over 60,000 of you signed our petition to support no-cost birth control, and earlier today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is adopting expert recommendations to require health insurers to cover contraception, along with a number of other preventive health services for women, without charging women co-payments. We got you covered – birth control without a co-pay will soon be a reality!

Thank HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for moving women’s health a huge step forward. Read more »

*For horses. Not humans.

This week the House of Representatives has been debating H.R.1, the bill that would fund the government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. The proposed budget makes devastating cuts to programs upon which women and their families rely. Read more »

Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held its first business meeting of the year to consider H.R. Read more »

This week, a firestorm erupted  over efforts by anti-choice members of Congress to narrow the long-standing “rape” exception to the ban on the use of federal funds for abortion.  Hailed by Speaker John Boehner as one of the top priorities for the new Congress, H.R. Read more »