Health Care Plan Addresses Preventive Care for Women

Published: Fri 04 Dec 2009

Thomas Kristoffersen

On Thursday, the United States Senate endorsed a health care plan that would give women easier access to preventive health screenings like mammograms as the first votes were cast on the large-scale health care reform bill.

After a bitter, four-day debate, the Senate reached a 61-39 vote in favor of an amendment that would improve women's access to screenings for illnesses like diabetes and cancer by waiving deductibles and co-pays for the procedures.

The decision comes on the heels of a controversy that took place last month over recommendations from a federal task force that women postpone annual mammograms for breast cancer and advice from a group of physicians that women similarly postpone regular pap smears for cervical cancer.

"This amendment makes sure that the insurance companies must cover the basic preventive care that women need at no cost," explained Senator Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat and the amendment's sponsor.

In a 58-42 vote, Senate Democrats also supported the bill's $400 billion reduction of the Medicare program for America's seniors. Republicans argued that the cuts would erode benefits for the elderly, while Democrats said they would minimize waste and boost the fiscal health of the Medicare program.

The votes signaled the end of a two-day stalemate in the Senate that was hindering progress on the health care reform bill, which is the number-one domestic priority of President Obama. On Wednesday evening, leaders of both parties finally decided on a timeframe for the votes.

Democratic leaders in the Senate have promised to pass the healthcare bill by December's end, but Republicans want to protract the debate into 2010, hoping that the public's opposition to the bill will grow.

The Senate healthcare bill is intended to control costs, extend medical coverage to approximately 30 million Americans who are uninsured, and stop certain insurance practices like denying coverage on the basis of preexisting medical conditions.

The House of Representatives voted on its final version of the healthcare bill last month. If the Senate passes its own version, Congress will have to reconcile the two bills in January and then put them to a vote in both chambers before the bill will reach President Obama for signing.

Nationwide opinion polls show that the country is largely divided on the healthcare overhaul. Last Thursday, a Thomson-Reuters poll discovered that most Americans support a government-run public option in the bill but question if the reform will actually better their healthcare in the immediate future.