When it passed, we recognized the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation.
On the Right Track: Institute of Medicine’s Essential Benefits Report
America’s women and families want and need confidence that when they buy health insurance, it will cover comprehensive benefits that meet their needs. Thanks to health reform, we may soon get that.
In the Works: New Patient Rights
Patients and families may soon have a great opportunity to have more control over – and make improvements in – the health care they receive.
The Good, the Bad and the Hope for Breastfeeding Rights
Roughly four million women give birth in the United States every year – and most choose to breastfeed (74 percent). After all, the nutritional value of breast milk is well documented. Numerous studies show that breastfeeding protects mothers and children from a range of acute and chronic health conditions. But with two-thirds of today’s working women returning to work within three months of giving birth, the lack of supportive workplace policies and laws is forcing too many nursing mothers to quit breastfeeding early – or never start.
In Science v. Politics, Science Scores a Win
A milestone for women’s health is finally within reach: On Tuesday, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified the full range of FDA-approved contraception and birth control options as preventive health services – and recommended that they be made available to women without additional fees or co-payment under health care reform.
Cause for Hope in North Carolina
Infant mortality rates are widely used in this country and internationally as a barometer of the quality of a community’s, or a nation’s, health care system – and with good reason.
Time to Support Older Americans and their Caregivers, Not Undermine Them
Respect your elders. Many of us have been given that advice by our parents, grandparents, teachers and mentors for as long as we can remember. So why don’t our public policies better address the needs of our country’s seniors and their families, and why do some lawmakers seem poised to dismantle the policies that older Americans rely on?
Seniors in America Today: “Not a Pretty Picture”
Earlier this week, I was privileged to be a part of Volunteers of America’s third annual discussion on aging issues. I was on a panel with Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post co-founder and editor-in-chief; Mike King, National President and CEO of Volunteers of America, Inc.; and Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, AARP Executive Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement. Our topic: How our nation’s public policies affect older Americans, especially women.
Relentless. Deceptive. Dangerous.
The “”war on women”” in the House of Representatives rages on.
The Affordable Care Act at One
This week is the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act – the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation.
Let’s Not Reverse Our Progress on Stopping HIV/AIDS
Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, when we should all pause to remember that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still shaping and taking too many lives, in the United States and around the globe.
Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All
Sometimes I think there’s not much that can surprise me. But last week proved that theory wrong: the U.S. House of Representatives voted to prohibit federal funds for health care services provided by Planned Parenthood, and eliminate funding for all Title X family planning services, which are the sole source of health care for millions of low-income and uninsured women in this nation.
What, No Tiara?
Recently, a reporter conducted an analysis of the people considered to be “the most powerful” in the field of health information technology (IT).
Real Family Values
Every year roughly four million women give birth in the United States, and most of them (more than three-quarters) start out breastfeeding. Study after study has affirmed the value of breastfeeding in protecting both mothers and children from a host of acute and chronic diseases and conditions, saving billions in health care costs. Breastfeeding mothers also report feeling more closely bonded with their babies—a factor which may lower the risk of postpartum depression.
Time to Protect Common Sense.
Shame on Them!
For decades, women and families have been penalized by punitive and predatory insurance practices that have restricted their access to quality, affordable care. But the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing that. It is the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation.
How Far Have We Come When it Comes to Covering Women’s Birth Control? We Shall See.
Ten years ago today, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that refusing to cover prescription contraception in an employee health plan – if other similar preventive services and prescription drugs were covered in that plan -violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the amendment to Title VII, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. It was a monumental victory for women, many of whom spend the majority of their reproductive lives (approximately three decades) trying to avoid an unintended pregnancy. Women rely on contraception to plan their families, and appropriately and safely space their children.
It’s Politics v. Science. Again.
It’s a fact: Contraceptive use improves overall health. It enables women to plan and space their pregnancies. It has contributed to dramatic declines in maternal and infant mortality. And it has been a driving force in reducing unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion.
Honoring our Families During National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month
Imagine living with someone you are crazy about who gradually turns into a stranger. Alzheimer’s disease is a heartbreaking disease, not just because it takes a loved one in death, but because first, it takes that person’s mind, personality, memory and character – the things that made us love them in the first place.
Six Months After Health Reform There is Much to Celebrate…And Lots of Work Ahead
Six months ago today, President Obama signed the health care bill into law. And with his signature, our health care system was opened up for renovation. But, like any remodeling job, we’ve got a long way to go before the final product will be ready for a ribbon cutting ceremony.