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Good afternoon,
9 -- that's number of states and the District of Columbia where there is still no specific law that makes it illegal for insurers to reject applicants who are survivors of domestic violence by citing the history of domestic violence as a pre-existing condition.1
Unfortunately, the gender inequalities across our broken heath care system don't end there. In many states, insurance companies can still discriminate on the basis of gender -- charging women higher premiums than men simply because of their gender or denying coverage because of so-called "pre-existing conditions" like being pregnant, experiencing a prior pregnancy complication, or having undergone a C-section. And health plans in the individual market often do not cover basic maternity care.
President Obama's proposal for health insurance reform would end the days of discrimination based on gender. Insurance companies would be banned from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition and would have to cover preventative care like mammograms.
For America's women and families, the time is now for health insurance reform.
9 is the latest number in ‘Health Reform by the Numbers,' our online campaign to raise awareness about why we just can't wait any longer for health insurance reform. Help spread the word by sharing this message with your family, friends and online networks.
Let's get it done.
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
P.S. Still have questions about what reform means for you and your family? Tune in tonight at 5:15 p.m. EDT and get your questions answered live by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
1 National Women's Law Center, Still Nowhere to Turn
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