As if that were not bad enough, states like Minnesota that have made a commitment to women can anticipate a full-throttled attack on that commitment.  I provided a policy overview of what health care reform would look like in Minnesota here but want to draw attention to one point–Medicaid.  Now I know nothing puts people to sleep quite like talking about state funding vehicles, so I’ll be brief.  Minnesota is one of a handful of states that currently uses Medicaid funds to provide abortion-related services to recipients beyond the circumstances of rape and/or incest.  The funding mechanisms and the insurance exchanges put forth in federal health care reform, combined with razor-thin support for continued funding and billion-dollar state deficits makes this an easy target for “reform.”  Whatever happens with health care reform on the national level we can expect to see another assault on choice and access at the state level.  And if reform passes, expect a broader coalition of groups and legislators going after this Medicaid funding.

Many choice activists felt blindsided by the Stupak/Nelson/Hatch abortion shennanigans in the crafting of health care reform legislation.  There’s no reason why we should be as blindsided at the state level.  Consider yourself warned and let’s get prepared.

Abortionaccess.org

Women in places such as Mississippi, Kentucky, West Virginia and Arkansas share a troubling commonality – they all live in states with the least accessible abortion services in the United States.  Because of where they live, these women face daunting barriers to get safe abortion care if and when they need it.  These least access states have the most restrictive laws and the fewest number of abortion providers.  These states also share other traits: low levels of contraceptive care, high rates of poverty, and strong anti-abortion cultures.  With little help to prevent pregnancy, few financial resources to help pay for abortion care, and the threat of isolation or even harassment within her community, the health and autonomy of a woman living in one of these states is at risk.

Among the states labeled ‘least access states’ are both North and South Dakota, which is not surprising considering the Dakota’s record on women’s health. Even in Minnesota, the state currently funds ‘clinics’ that intentionally mislead women about reproductive health.   How are anti-choice activists continue to chip away at women’s right to a legal medical procedure? Funding. Restriction of funding began in 1976 when Congress passed the Hyde amendment.  During the “Gingrich Revolution” of the 90’s conservatives went even further by banning abortion coverage for all federal employees, preventing military hospitals from  performing abortion, banning prisons from funding abortions and eliminating 35% of funding to family planning centers. The issues today’s women face in obtaining a safe abortion:

Prochoice America

Making abortion access more difficult and dangerous is a key tactic in the anti-choice movement’s strategy. Today, 87 percent of U.S. counties have no abortion provider, yet anti-choice lawmakers continue to impose a broad range of restrictions on women’s access to abortion.

• Anti-choice members of Congress and their allies are trying to use health-care reform legislation to impose a new nationwide abortion ban in the private health-insurance market.
• Refusal clauses and counseling bans (“gag rules”) limit women’s access to honest information and medical care, making it virtually impossible for some women to access abortion services altogether.
• Congress has imposed restrictions on abortion care for women who live in Washington, D.C. and those depend on the government for their health care needs, including women serving in our military.
• Numerous federal and state laws aggressively limityoung women’s access to abortion care and information.
• Anti-choice activists have developed “crisis pregnancy centers” to confuse, coerce, and mislead women in order to prevent them from exercising their constitutional right to choose.
• Anti-choice lawmakers have used propaganda and distorted scientific information as part of a strategy to instill fear in women to prevent them from exercising their right to choose.
• Clinic violence, murder, threats, and intimidation endanger doctors and patients and further restrict women’s access to reproductive-health care. While there are state and federal laws in place to protect women and doctors, this campaign of violence is still a very real threat to the right to choose.

A large proportion of women in our society depend on Medicaid for health care and as health care costs soar the dependence on governmental aid will only increase.  Congress, in negotiations for passing HCR, has enabled some legislators to dictate coverage of specific medical procedures by insurance companies.  In an attempt to prevent any federal subsidies for abortion, something already accomplished by Hyde, congress has gone further by preventing money going to companies that provide abortion coverage.  This is the largest attempt to limit access to abortion in my lifetime and if the Stupak language becomes law, health insurance coverage for abortions will essentially be eradicated, even for those receiving no governmental aid.

Abortion opponents strategy for targeting public funding are two-fold, first to immediately reduce access and secondly as a broader strategy to recriminalize abortion. The limits on abortion coverage overwhelmingly affect the most vulnerable among us and while the government will cover sterilization, they won’t fully fund access to all other forms of reproductive care.

5. Twenty-one million women and girls went without health insurance in 2007. In addition to requiring reproductive health care – yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care – women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches, and more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. Women are also four times as likely to develop osteoporosis.

4. Women are less likely to be employed full-time than men, making them less eligible for employer-based health benefits themselves. In fact, less than half of women can get health insurance through their work.

3. A survey by the National Women’s Law Center found that the vast majority of individual market health insurance policies did not cover maternity care. Moreover, it is still legal in 9 states for insurers to reject applicants who are survivors of domestic violence.

2. In a recent national survey, more than half of women (52%) reported delaying or avoiding needed care because of cost, compared with 39% of men. In addition, one-third of women were forced to make a difficult trade-off such as using up their savings, taking on debt, or giving up basic necessities.

1. Women are often charged higher premiums than men. Holding other factors constant, a 22 year old woman can be charged one and a half times the premium of a 22 year old man.

Read the whole post, including action you can take to protest health care inequity, here.

Tell Your Senators to Confirm Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Governor Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has demonstrated that she understands the needs of women — in health care, early education, and other areas critical to the lives of women and their families.

As health care reform moves forward, it is important we have a strong HHS Secretary who understands the needs of women and their families so that any health reform proposal addresses the unique barriers women face. She also will be responsible for child care and early education programs and family support programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Your action is important because anti-choice and conservative groups have been mobilizing to block the nomination of this superbly qualified candidate because of her strong support for women’s health and reproductive rights and her commitment to fixing our broken health care system.

Please e-mail and call today!

More ways to contact, and a message form can be found here.

1. Issues are important, but there are still plenty of us invested in seeing a woman president before we die. Really. But she has to be qualified.

2. We’re tired of candidates who mix religion and politics. Please don’t pander. Some of us are devout and others are still sorting out our spiritual lives. But we’re smart enough to know when you cross the line and try to combine the two.

3. We want all mothers to have quality, affordable child care. You’re not giving it to us and we will elect people who feel the same way we do.

See the rest here…