Women closing health-insurance coverage gap

While there are still inequities between women and men in terms of health-insurance coverage, public pressure and legislation have helped females close the coverage gap.

The new national health-care bill that passed the House of Representatives by a slim 220-215 margin has advocacy groups concerned about the direction of health insurance.

One part of House Resolution 3962 -- the Stupak/Pitts amendment -- has outraged Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

"Planned Parenthood serves three million women every year through its more than 850 affiliate health centers across the country, and has worked tirelessly on behalf of those patients for affordable, quality health care," Richards said on www.plannedparenthood.org. "On behalf of the millions of women Planned Parenthood health centers serve, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America has no choice but to oppose HR 3962."


Richards explained her group's frustration, which centers around the Stupak/Pitts amendment.

"The bill includes the Stupak/Pitts amendment that would leave women worse off after health-care reform than they are today, violating President Obama's promise to the American people that no one would be forced to lose her or his coverage under health reform," Richards said.

Richards said the amendment "violates the spirit of health-care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health-care coverage for all."

"In fact, this amendment would create a two-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and middle incomes, the very people this bill is intended to assist," Richards said. "The majority of private health-insurance plans currently offer abortion coverage, and the amendment would result in the elimination of private abortion coverage in 'the exchange,' the new insurance market created under health-care reform, as well as in the public option, if one is created."

Dr. Thomas Ayoub, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Norwalk Hospital, believes the state of Connecticut has done a great deal to close any disparity gaps in insurance coverage between women and men.

"The state has made a big effort to equalize (insurance coverage) a lot, and the state has mandated reproductive services be covered by all private insurers," Ayoub said. "It's hard to say any disparities are discrimination; it's really an economic issue. Certain plans cost different prices. The biggest problem we have as patients is we have no damn clue what we will be paying."

Ayoub hopes that private insurance coverage might become like a restaurant, where a $25 steak costs $25.

"Most people are straightforward in ordering things," Ayoub said. "We have to have some veracity."

Nationally, there are still impediments to women receiving insurance coverage to men. According to Web site www.healthreform.gov, women's reproductive health requires more regular contact with health-care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms and obstetric care.

Women are also 21 percent less likely (52 to 73 percent) to be employed full-time than men, making them less likely to be eligible for employer-based health benefits themselves. In fact, less than half the number of women have the option of obtaining employer-based coverage on their own, according to www.healthreform.gov.

That Web site notes that even women with the option to get health coverage through their employer, they are twice as likely as men to go on their spouse's plan, 15 percent versus 7 percent.

Another myth that has been debunked is that Viagra is covered by insurance, but women's reproductive services are not. According to pharmacists Mike Grimaldi and Joe Schuler at the Norwalk Community Health Center, Viagra is only covered in a lower dose to help curtail pulmonary hypertension.

"Viagra is not covered by federal money," Grimaldi said in reference to Medicare and Medicaid. "Anyone using federal money (for Viagra) is not using it for erectile dysfunction."

Schuler said he and his wife have experienced in vitro fertilization firsthand.

"My wife has gone through (in vitro) twice, and on my own we weren't covered," Schuler said. "She changed to a plan to cover in vitro. Finding the right plan may take some digging. Open enrollment is very general, and people may come to find out their plan does not cover everything they need."

Schuler added that cancer coverage can vary by insurance plan.