What does health care reform do for women? When a majority of women want and use birth control, why are we having a national debate about insurance coverage of contraception? Hear from the National Women’s Law Center’s senior health policy analyst Anna Benyo, as she gives us the scoop on benefits impacting women. Join us Friday morning, March 23, 2012, for Women’s Health Today at 8am MST on KUNM 89.9fm or kunm.org.
Contraception issues, nursing breaks on tap as women’s health advocates discuss health reform at Tuesday UNM event
– Media Advisory –
Groups to highlight nursing breaks and other benefits such as contraception in Affordable Care Act
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., March 20th – Women’s health advocates will be on UNM’s campus on Tuesday, March 20th, to educate students about important new benefits in the Affordable Care Act for women. These benefits include nursing breaks for new mothers, contraception coverage and new preventative care benefits coming online in 2012. This event is part of a series of events celebrating the two-year anniversary of the passage of ACA this week.
WHO: State of Women’s Health New Mexico and several other community-based women’s health organizations
WHAT: Event calling attention to nursing breaks in health reform law as well as new benefits in 2012
WHERE: University of New Mexico. Student Union Building Atrium
WHEN: March 20, 2012 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
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Women’s Health Today – December Promo
Tune in to Women’s Health Today hosted by Giovanna Rossi on December 23 at 8am on KUNM 89.9fm or online at kunm.org. The show will feature Dr. Saralyn Mark, sex and gender based health expert and NASA medical consultant, who will discuss her new book “Stellar Medicine: A Journey Through Women’s Health”. Also on the show: important information you may not know about the impact of health care reform on women in New Mexico.
Listen to the promo here.
Albuquerque Journal Letter to the Editor
Printed in Talk of the Town October 11, 2011
Finally, Health Care That Works For All
THE NEW health care law is already having a positive effect on health care costs in New Mexico. Part of why premium increases are slowing is because of the protections the law affords.
The health law provides states with funding to help us better evaluate huge spikes in insurance premiums. These dollars provide states with the capacity to bring greater transparency to the insurance market by reviewing rate increases, which ultimately helps to drive down premiums and hold insurance companies accountable.
Ever-rising premiums have hampered women’s ability to afford health insurance. Not only does this new law help to reduce insurance premiums, but it protects women from discriminatory health insurance practices, and makes coverage more secure by ensuring that working families cannot be denied care due to a pre-existing condition.
The law also provides basic preventative health care and women’s health services with no-copy, which reduces the amount of out-of-pocket costs women would have had to spend on needed care. The law not only helps women and families in New Mexico, but it makes good economic sense.
According to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, the health care law will reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion in the first 10 years and by more than $1 trillion in the second 10 years.
GIOVANNA ROSSI PRESSLEY
Albuquerque
Policy Briefing on Women and Health Care Reform
November 2, 2011 9:00-11:30am
Albuquerque Crowne Plaza Hotel
(formerly Albuquerque Hilton)
1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM
RSVP here.
Policy Briefing with National Women’s Law Center VP for Health, Judy Waxman, J.D.
Judy Waxman is the Vice President of Health and Reproductive Rights at the National Women’s Law Center. She pioneers advocacy, policy and educational strategies to promote the quality and availability of health care, including reproductive choice, for American women. Prior to joining the National Women’s Law Center, Ms. Waxman served as Deputy Executive Director at Families USA for over a decade. She holds a law degree from American University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami, in Florida.
A panel of experts will follow:
Joan LaMunyon Sanford, NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and Raising Women’s Voices
Justina Trott, Women’s Health Services and RWJ CHP Women’s Health Policy Unit
Barbara K.Webber, Health Action New Mexico
Jane Wishner, Southwest Women’s Law Center
This event is FREE but RSVP is required.
Event sponsored by:
RWJF CHP at UNM Women’s Health Policy Unit
Gender Impacts Policy, a project of the Center of Southwest Culture
State of Women: A partnership between National Women’s Law Center and Gender Impacts Policy
Sex and Gender Implications of a NM Insurance Exchange
Gender Impacts Policy, a project of the non-profit Center of Southwest Culture, has submitted a report to the New Mexico Human Services Department under a federal health care reform planning grant on the sex and gender implications of a New Mexico health insurance exchange. The project director was Giovanna Rossi and project adviser was Dr. Justina Trott.
Sex-Gender Final Report June 2011
Sex and gender differences in health outcomes are significantly impacted by a person’s environment and cultural practices in diet, geography, education, social practices, and resource availability (especially economic). Consequently, there is need for analyzing the inter-relational impact of diversity and other social determinants of health in implementing sex- and gender-based programs to truly achieve health equity, and that such an analysis must be conducted at multiple levels of intervention (policy, planning, programs, services, and research).
This project utilizes a sex and gender lens to analyze barriers to health coverage, participation in a health insurance exchange, benefits and services, and customer information to assess the differential impact on women to achieve health equity. The benefit package of insurance products sold in a health insurance exchange and other health insurance exchange services will need to be designed to address the needs of and be accessible to populations of both men and women in all of their diversities.
For the purpose of our study and this report, sex and gender stakeholder population is defined as, and this project focuses on, input from diverse populations of women, including ethnicity, socio-economic status, age, abilities, geographic region, and sexual orientation. The stakeholder input methodology is designed to include people in greatest economic and social need, particularly low-income, minority, and rural individuals. The methodology includes four key informant interviews, seven focus groups, a policy forum, and a gender analysis of secondary sex-disaggregated data. A statewide stakeholder participant recruitment plan is developed, which includes input from Native Americans, Hispanic/Latinas, parents of transgendered teens, young women, low-income women, monolingual Spanish speakers, and rural women.
Key Recommendations for Establishing a Health Insurance Exchange
The recommendations presented here are organized around the core areas studied: health coverage, participation in a health insurance exchange, benefits and services, customer service, and gender roles. We then group themes that include cost; family impact; power structures and cultural barriers; information, knowledge and trust; and comprehensive, integrated and colocated services. And given the needs identified in this report, a Basic Health Plan (BHP) in New Mexico would benefit the population studied.
Women’s Health Today July 22, 2011 Podcast
Women’s Health Today
About Women, For Everyone
Friday July 22, 2011 8am MST Podcast
KUNM 89.9fm or www.kunm.org
Dr. Susan Wood on IOM Report and Birth Control
July 21, 2011
Statement from Dr. Susan Wood Regarding IOM Report that Recommends Eight Additional Women’s Health Preventive Services for Coverage
Statement from Susan F. Wood, PhD
Associate Professor of Health Policy
Director, Jacob Institute of Women’s Health
The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Former Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health, FDA
Women know that preventive services for women includes family planning. Today the IOM confirmed that contraception is prevention and is part of the prevention package that should be covered by all health care plans. By reducing co-pays and deductibles for women getting contraception, this will help women and couples plan their families, space their children, reduce unintended pregnancies, and promote better health for women and children. Preventing unintended pregnancies is the best way to prevent abortion.
Women spend decades of their lives trying to prevent pregnancy, and only a few years actually trying to get pregnant and having children. Making contraception affordable by eliminating co-pays and deductibles is common sense for millions of women and couples across the country – and a real benefit that women will see immediately in their pocketbooks. This coverage of contraception will truly help “Close the Gaps” for women.
Contraception is not controversial – except sometimes for politicians. But this should not be political; coverage of contraception should be based on the evidence as outlined by IOM, which shows that contraception for women is indeed safe and effective prevention. Along with well-woman visits and critical screening for gestational diabetes, STDs, domestic violence, and other important women’s health preventive services, the IOM report “Closing the Gaps” has helped ensure that women’s health counts when we talk about prevention. Women should not be blocked from these critical preventive services due to cost or political debate.
Women’s Health Today – Access to Affordable Contraceptives
Women’s Health Today
About Women, For Everyone
Friday July 22, 2011 8am MST
KUNM 89.9fm or www.kunm.org
Listen to the promo here: wht-promo 7.22.11
How do sex and gender impact health? Does health policy adequately address systemic problems rooted in the relationships between patient, provider and insurer? Women’s Health Today looks at health from an interdisciplinary and woman-centered perspective, examining the many biological, psychological, environmental and social factors effecting health.
Tune in this Friday (7/22) at 8:00am MST for Women’s Health Today on KUNM 89.9fm or www.kunm.org. On the show I will discuss how health care reform will impact access to birth control. My guests include Judy Waxman of the National Women’s Law Center and Lois Uttley of MergerWatch and co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices. Listen to the promo here: wht-promo 7.22.11
KUNM Broadcast Times – 2011:
Friday, January 21st at 8:00am
Friday, April 22nd at 8:00am
Friday, July 22nd at 8:00am
Friday, September 23rd at 8:00am
Friday, December 23rd at 8:00am
Host: Giovanna Rossi
Let’s Start a Conversation About Health . . . and Not Talk About Health Care at All
A must for anyone working in health! It’s short, watch it.