The United States is paying more for health care and getting less. In a distributed handout on why the country needs to pass H.R. 676, a graph showed how America stacked up against France, Sweden, Italy and Finland. It wasn’t encouraging. All four nations have Universal Healthcare and paid parental leave. It was noted that other industrialized nations have either free or subsidized childcare and eldercare. – The Huffington Post (5.11.09)
Women are beginning their own health care movement as President Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan comes into focus. At the National Women’s Speakout for Action convention held in New York City, women from around the U.S. came together to simply start their own conversation about health care.
A recent report by the Commonwealth Fund found that seven of 10 working-age women have no medical insurance coverage or inadequate coverage. With over 46 million hard-working American’s lacking medical coverage, that seven of 10 number is huge!
“More families are making difficult choices between needed healthcare, making payments on mortgages or credit card debt, and 
purchasing basic necessities,” said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. “This study underscores the need for affordable universal health coverage and protection against catastrophic financial losses not only for women — who are more likely to be at risk for high premiums and medical bills — but for all Americans.”
True, women realistically visit the doctor more than men and tend to make less than their male co-workers. I mean, you have to take into account the different doctors that women have to see on a regular basis, combined with prenatal visits and childbirth, women just use healthcare more. The ridiculous part of the conversation is that they can’t afford it.
In President Obama’s Health Care Reform speech this morning, he emphasized how stressful it was for his mother during her last days, when the medical bills were piling up and she knew they couldn’t afford them. It’s our mothers and grandmothers who take the brunt of our financial strain as they worry about their children, their husbands, their friends, and very last, themselves.
With our moms busy taking care of our bumps and bruises, who is taking care of theirs?
