Titus: "Being A Woman Is Not A Pre-Existing Condition'

Statement

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada's Third District released the following statement today on how health care reform will impact women.

"The need for health reform is critical for so many in America, but for women, that need is even greater. From 2007 to 2008, more than 211,000 Nevada women were uninsured, while more than one in five women in Nevada reports not visiting a doctor due to high costs. Health reform will make 36,700 uninsured women in Nevada eligible for Medicaid coverage and approximately 83,000 women in Nevada eligible for a health insurance subsidy to help with premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

"With health care costs weighing heavily on our small businesses, and with women more likely than men to work for small businesses that don't offer health insurance, health care reform will help small businesses compete by lowering crushing health care costs.

"In Nevada, insurers are allowed to consider gender when setting premium rates in the individual health insurance market. As a result of this "gender rating' women often are charged more than men for the exact same coverage. Insurers can also exclude coverage for certain pre-existing conditions, such having had a C-section and even being pregnant. And it can be difficult -- and sometimes impossible in certain markets -- for women to find coverage for maternity care in the individual health market.

"It's time to tell insurance companies that being a woman is not a pre-existing condition and pass health care reform that bans health insurance discrimination."

Source