Cybersecurity Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today very excited about the great progress America is going to make tomorrow, August 1, for women across this country and to share the outrage I just heard from the Senator from Illinois and others that before those even go into effect tomorrow, on the eve of this great opportunity for so many women, the Republican leader has come to the floor and said: We want to repeal it--first amendment, on an issue not related at all to cyber security but to take those away before they even begin.

It is an exciting moment for women in this country. Two years ago health insurance companies could deny women care due to so-called preexisting conditions such as pregnancy or being a victim of domestic violence--denied. Two years ago women were legally discriminated against when it came to insurance premiums and were often paying more for coverage than their male counterparts.

Two years ago women did not have access to the full range of recommended preventive care, such as mammograms or prenatal screenings, that the Senator from Illinois talked about. Two years ago insurance companies had all the leverage. Two years ago, too often, women paid the price. That is why I am so proud today to come to the floor with so many of our colleagues to highlight just how far we have come for women in the past 2 years and the new ways women will benefit from health care reform starting tomorrow, August 1.

Since the Affordable Care Act became the law of the land, women have now been treated more fairly when it comes to health care costs and options. Deductibles and other expenses have been capped, so a health care crisis won't cause a family to lose their home or their life savings. Women can use the health care exchanges to pick quality plans that work for themselves and their families. And if they change jobs or have to move, which so many people have to do today, they can keep their coverage.

Starting tomorrow, August 1, additional types of maternity care are going to be covered. Women will be armed with the proper tools and resources in order to take the right steps to have a healthy pregnancy. Starting tomorrow, women will have access to domestic partner violence screening and counseling, as well as screening for sexually transmitted infections. Starting tomorrow, women will finally have access to affordable birth control so we can lower rates in maternal and infant mortality and reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and improve overall health outcomes and encourage far fewer unintended pregnancies and abortions, which is a goal we all share.

I also wish to note that the affordable contraceptive policy we put in place preserves the rights of all Americans while also protecting the rights of millions of Americans who do use contraceptives, who believe that family planning is the right choice for them, and who don't deserve to have politics or ideology prevent them from getting the coverage they deserve and want.

Starting tomorrow, women will be fully in charge of their health care, not an insurance company. That is why I feel so strongly that we cannot go back to the way things were. While we can never stop working to make improvements, which we all know are important, we owe it to the women of America to make progress and not allow the clock to be rolled back on their health care needs.

Despite the recent Supreme Court decision upholding this law, I know some of our Republican colleagues are furiously working to undo all the gains we have made in health care reform for women and families. We heard the minority leader this morning come to the floor, and he wants to offer an amendment on the next bill that is now coming up on cybersecurity to repeal all of these important protections for women, that women are taking advantage of today, and certainly something we all should want for our families and our daughters and for the women in this country. I know they apparently think repealing the entire health care law would be a political winner for them, but the truth is that this law is a winner for women and for men and for children and for our health care system overall.

So I am proud to be out here with my colleagues today who are committed to making sure the benefits of this law do not get taken away from the women of America because politics and ideology should not matter when it comes to making sure women across America get the care they need at a cost they can afford.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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