|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama made history on Tuesday by signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) into law. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives on March 21st and the Senate last December, included SWHR’s signature piece of legislation, the Women’s Health Office Act (WHOA) as a provision, marking a tremendous moment for women’s health and for women’s health research.
WHOA co-sponsors Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) fought to have WHOA maintained as a provision in the Senate health reform bill during its negotiation process. “We must make sure women have information they need, that doctors have the best tools and the best training, that all women have access to high quality health care, and that we remain steadfast on research,” said Senator Mikulski. “It is critical that we make sure women are not left behind when it comes to their health and wellness.”
In the House of Representatives, WHOA co-sponsors Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the measure as a stand-alone bill and voted for WHOA as a provision in the vote on H.R. 3590 on Sunday night.
“With President Obama’s signature on the health insurance reform bill, simply being a woman will no longer be considered a pre-existing condition, ending the health insurance industry practice of overcharging and choosing to deny women coverage at times for basic medical needs”, said Representative Murphy. “And we will finally take the necessary steps to protect the volumes of research and information on women’s health that we’ve gathered in recent years so that we can continue to make strides in improving health outcomes for women into the future.”
These measures implement the most broad sweeping health legislation in 40 years and a great advancement of SWHR’s advocacy agenda. Women’s health offices within federal agencies (e.g., FDA, SAMSHA, NIH, CDC) exist to increase public education awareness campaigns, clinical studies, and research for and about women’s health. Without the adequate funding and staffing levels provided by federal protection, these offices would have remained vulnerable to elimination due to insufficient funding and staffing resources.
Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7.
HealthNewsDigest.com
We videotape Press Conferences, produce Satellite MediaTour’s, B-rolls, PSA’s, – all with distribution: HealthyTelevisionProductions[email protected]