Bill Text: MI HR0118 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to memorialize Congress to adopt legislation expressing the sense that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 31-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-09-09 - Reported With Recommendation Without Amendment(s) [HR0118 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2009-HR0118-Introduced.html
Reps. Warren, Liss, Smith, Valentine, Byrnes, Haase, Lipton, Miller, Roberts, Donigan, Slavens, Hammel, Barnett, Kennedy, Lisa Brown, Bauer, Robert Jones, Geiss, Gonzales, Haugh, Neumann, Coulouris, Meadows, Lahti, Leland, Wayne Schmidt, Scripps, Stanley, Constan, Lemmons, Polidori and Cushingberry offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 118.
A resolution to memorialize Congress to adopt legislation expressing the sense that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met.
Whereas, Women without health insurance bear significant threats to their health and the health of their children. Uninsured women with breast cancer are more likely to die from the disease than insured women with breast cancer. Uninsured women do not receive adequate cancer screening exams, putting them at greater risk of a diagnosis for late-stage cervical cancer. Thirteen percent of all pregnant women are uninsured, making them less likely to seek prenatal care and more likely to experience an adverse health outcome after giving birth. The lack of, or inadequate receipt of, prenatal care is associated with pregnancy-related mortality 2 to 3 times higher, and infant mortality 6 times higher, than that of women receiving early prenatal care, and also is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth; and
Whereas, Women rely on women's health care providers throughout their lives, for comprehensive primary and preventive care, surgical care, and treatment and management of both acute and long-term health problems. A "medical home" should ensure each woman direct access to women's health care providers and care coordination throughout her lifetime. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men, but women are less likely than men to receive lifestyle counseling, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and cardiac rehabilitation and are more likely to die or have a second heart attack, demonstrating inequalities between women and men in access to health care; and
Whereas, High-costs of health care hit women particularly hard. Women pay sixty-eight percent more than men for out-of-pocket medical costs, due in large part to reproductive health care needs. In 2004, one in six women with individual health care coverage postponed, or went without, needed health care because they could not afford it. High-deductible health insurance plans are marketed as inexpensive options to young women, yet such plans often fail to cover pregnancy-related care, the most expensive health care event most young families face and the leading cause of hospital stays for young women; and
Whereas, Affordable health care is needed by women throughout life's transitions, including starting a family, changing jobs, working part-time or full-time, divorce, caring for an elderly or sick family member, having a major disease, and retirement. Women are less likely than men to receive health insurance through their employers and more likely than men to be insured as a dependent, making them more vulnerable than men to insurance loss in the event of divorce or death of a spouse. The lack of affordable health care coverage creates barriers for women who want to change jobs or create their own small businesses; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize Congress to adopt legislation expressing the sense that national health care reform should ensure that the health care needs of women and of all individuals in the United States are met; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
