How Will the Health Care Reform Act Help Women?

This is a question that many women are asking. Will health care for women be more affordable in the future? Many private insurance plans charge a young woman extra on premiums if she wants maternity coverage. There are a lot of unanswered questions and doubt surrounding health care these days.

According to Tina Tchen, White House Director for Public Engagement, we will see more affordable and better coverage for women. I read an article that she wrote on this subject. You can take a look at it here: Women, are you for the Affordable Healthcare Act?

I'm trying to be objective about this whole thing, but I'm still seeing my health care costs rise. One of my doctors who used to do his own in house lab work has outsourced it to an outside laboratory. So now instead of my lab fees being covered in my co-pay, I receive an additional cost of over a hundred dollars each time lab work is done. Now that my husband and I have taken early retirement due to his job loss, we are footing the bill for our health insurance. He works a part time job just to help pay for our health needs.

As I'm hearing about how great this new health care reform bill is, I'm not seeing any relief from rising costs. I know that most of this bill won't become effective for many years to come. In the meantime I see money flying out the window. I'm trying to keep my health costs down, but no matter what I do I'm thwarted by rising costs. I am unable to find really affordable insurance.

I'm hoping that at some point the economy will improve so that either my husband or myself can find a full time job that will have health benefits. It's much harder for older Americans in the job market these days and good jobs are scarce. Many older Americans have been faced with job loss, and are too young for Medicare. Health care costs for these Americans is among the highest in the nation. It's pretty sad to think that they would have to pay one to two thousand dollars a month if they have any health issues, and they are lucky to have insurance at those prices. Some older Americans can't even get health insurance at this time if they have a pre-existing condition and have lost their job. Once COBRA runs out they may find that they are uninsurable until 2014. This is the year in which health insurance companies will be required to cover everyone and eliminate pre-existing conditions. That's a long time to have to worry about your health care.

The White House appointed Tina Tchen as Director of Public Engagement when Barack Obama became president in January of 2009. Before that she had been a Chicago attorney, and a top fund raiser for Barack Obama. As the Director of Public Engagement Ms. Tchen makes about $153,000 a year. She also serves on the Council on Women and Girls.

This council is made up of representatives from other federal agencies to help insure that women's issues are being considered in policies and legislation that council members are a part of. All of the cabinet members of the President's administration are a part of this council as well as the cabinet level secretaries. I don't imagine that any government official will ever have to worry about their health care.

As an American woman I'm glad to see women's concerns being addressed by the administration. The problem is does this health care reform do the job that we are told it will do. Only time will tell. I have to admit that I'm skeptical.

Sources:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/07/obama_white_house_salary_list.html

http://washingtondc.skirt.com/articles/women-are-you-affordable-healthcare-act