Politics

Happy Mother?s Day!

By Speaker Pelosi

This Mother?s Day, women have another reason to celebrate. As mother and a grandmother, I know that women are often the decision makers when it comes to health care in America.

With the passage of historic health care reform, millions more Americans will have health care ? in particular women and children will benefit.

Inspired by the millions of Americans who shared their stories of struggle to afford health care for their families, working with President Obama, Congress made history by passing health insurance reform.

During the health care debate, I heard from a mother of a young woman with diabetes, who was kicked off of her father?s insurance the day she graduated from college. She couldn?t afford coverage and had to wean herself off of her nighttime insulin. One morning, she slipped into a coma and never woke up. No mother should ever have to face this kind of tragedy.

Because of the new health care law, starting this year, young Americans will be able to stay on their parents? insurance plans until age 26.

The other benefits of the new law include:

Insuring 32 million more people;

Ending insurance company discrimination because of their pre-existing conditions;

Closing the Medicare prescription drug donut hole for America?s seniors; and,

Creating more than 4 million jobs and reinvigorate the entrepreneurial spirit of our nation.

This bill is fully paid for and will save the taxpayers $1.3 trillion.

For America?s women and children, health insurance reform means an end to the days where children can be denied coverage because of an illness and women can be charged higher rates based on gender.

Illnesses affecting women such as breast cancer, pregnancy and injuries from domestic violence will no longer be treated as pre-existing conditions. In short, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition.

Others before us created Social Security and Medicare. This Congress established health care for all Americans as a right, not a privilege. That is cause for celebration!

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 08, 2010 (boomark / email).