Misinformation. Confusion. Chaos. In many ways, those have been the hallmarks of the health insurance reform debate, leaving the public with little clear understanding about essential elements of the bills the House and Senate have passed.

To bring clarity where there has been confusion, and shed light on some little-known provisions that will result in big improvements for women, the National Partnership for Women & Families has produced a new fact sheet, Improving Health Care for Women & Families: The Top Ten Best Kept Secrets about Health Insurance Reform and Why Congress Should Pass It Without Delay.

“To date, there has been more heat than light in the reform debate, which has left millions of people without the information they need to assess the impact of various proposals and identify what reforms are most important to them,” said National Partnership for Women & Families President Debra L. Ness. “For instance, not enough people know that the legislation Congress has passed would prohibit insurers from charging women more because of their gender or age, or denying or dropping coverage based on pre-existing conditions. And there are a host of specific benefits that could make a real difference for women and families.”

The new National Partnership fact sheet describes key elements of the legislation that would, among other things: