Today’s vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the Affordable Care Act is the wrong step at the wrong time and would take away life-saving benefits that women and families urgently need. Instead of refighting the political wars of the past, lawmakers should focus on the very real needs of the people they represent. The recent Supreme Court decision makes it clear: the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and it should be fully implemented.

The health reform law is the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation. By voting to repeal it, members of the House would take away real benefits and protections for women and families. People would no longer have access to recommended preventive services like mammograms and immunizations without cost-sharing; insurers could continue to charge women many times more than men simply because of our gender; older women would have to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars more for prescription drugs; lifetime and annual caps on benefits would be imposed; and people could be refused coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition like breast cancer, diabetes, or even domestic violence. Repeal would also halt our progress toward a more patient-centered health care delivery system that improves quality and lowers costs for every American.

If the bill approved by the House today were to become law, it should be stamped: ‘This bill is dangerous to your health.’ Instead of wasting time trying to score political points, Members of Congress should be working to make sure the benefits and protections provided under the Act are fully realized.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of women are already benefiting from preventive services without copays or cost sharing, the elimination of lifetime limits on coverage, the ability to keep children on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26, savings on prescription drugs, and much more. And many more tangible benefits that make a huge difference for women and families are just ahead. Americans need their representatives in Washington to focus on helping to realize the full promise of reform.”