Even if They are Behind Closed Doors, They Can Still Hear Our Voices

By Cindy Pearson

Last month, when I first started thinking about what to write in this column, I found myself wishing that I had a crystal ball and could see into the future. “How can I write about health care reform for a November/December column, when I don’t know what Congress is going to do in October?” But then I realized that I knew exactly what to say, even if I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen before my words would be read by our Network members.

When you read this column, it’s very likely that Congress will be somewhere in the process of final passage of health care reform legislation. Maybe the Senate will have already voted, maybe the House will have, too. We’ll probably have had lots of fights about the exact wording of the bills that were voted on. We probably had to fight off attempts by anti-choice members of Congress to use health reform legislation as a way to advance their larger agenda – just like we successfully fought off anti-choice amendments presented in the various House and Senate committees. And, I’m sure we will have mounted valiant efforts to make sure that the bills being voted on by the House and Senate included all the things we know are essential to successful health reform. We will have fought for the strongest possible provisions to make health care affordable. We will have mobilized in support of consumer protections that put an end to insurance industry abuses like denying coverage after someone gets sick or treating a cesarean-section like a pre-existing condition.

So, what comes next? The House and Senate are likely to pass different versions of health reform. Those differences will have to be worked out in Conference Committee before the final version of the bill can be passed and sent to President Obama to be signed. Only a handful of Senators and Representatives get to take part in the Conference Committee, and their job is to come up with language that everyone can agree on. This part of the legislative process happens behind closed doors, and usually, public attention turns away. But not this time!

We know that there will be temptations and pressures to weaken health reform legislation at every step of the way – including during Conference. We’re determined to stay active and continue to press our demands for comprehensive reform -- even if we can’t see what our elected representatives are doing. We can’t let them forget what we need: Health reform has to make all aspects of health care affordable and not assume that it’s OK to leave anyone out. Health reform has to protect consumers from industry abuses – no denials, no exclusions, no charging women more than men. Health reform has to meet all of women’s health care needs without singling out any aspect of our care, like abortion, for political reasons. Our message will have to be loud and strong – I know we can do it!

To get the latest update, and find out what you can do to make a difference right now, go to www.nwhn.org and www.raisingwomensvoices.net.