What it Takes to Give Birth to Health Reform

By Cindy Pearson

There was a moment last month when — all the sudden — I switched from using women’s health stories to explain the need for health reform, to using women’s health stories to explain the process of health reform. It was in the middle of Congress’ August recess, and things were hot in more ways than one: hot enough to work up a sweat in just a short walk outside our office in downtown Washington, D.C., and hot politically.

In August, opponents of health reform started disrupting Town Hall meetings as part of efforts to convince members of Congress not to support pending health care reform legislation. Their attacks on reform efforts have become so heated that one representative cancelled scheduled town hall meetings after receiving death threats. At the same time, squabbles about how to word the final versions of health care legislation that could pass with a convincing majority seemed to break out every day. Facing all of these seemingly insurmountable barriers to progress, we felt just like a lot of you did, I suspect: “This is so hard, how will we get through it?”

That’s when it came to me: we were in transition, just like a woman giving birth. NWHN members know birth stories very well — the process of childbirth starts with early labor (excitement, relief that things are finally getting going), moves into active labor (hard work, but progress is being made, and there’s time to catch your breath between contractions), then transition (really hard work, very painful, and no breaks). Even women who are well-prepared for labor sometimes tell their care givers that they feel like they just can’t do it, can’t finish the process. But then comes pushing, and it’s back to excitement, progress, and the wonderful result of all that hard work — a new baby.

So there we were — right in the middle of health reform transition. And it was really hardwork, with no breaks. The fabulous Raising Women’s Voices team, including MergerWatch and the Avery Institute, as well as NWHN, managed to pull off Speakouts in many parts of the country; sent out alert after alert; created new tool kits and fact sheets; and met with policymakers in states, cities, and even White House. We know that the squabbling and disruptions are all part of the process of creating new social policy, and that we had to get through the process. The moment I realized that our struggle for health reform is like childbirth, I knew we could get through the tough times of August.

And now it’s September…and it’s time to push. Congress is back in session, legislation is moving forward again, and it’s time “bear down.” But don’t hold your breath – instead, raise your voice. Stay close to us during the next few weeks so we can help you keep track of what’s going on. Now is the time to let your Senators and Representatives know what women need from health reform: to make health coverage affordable for everyone; make it stable so we won’t lose it if we change jobs or get divorced; ban insurance companies from refusing coverage for pre-existing conditions, so they wont be able to drop us when we get sick and charge women more than men; and cover women’s health across the lifespan, including reproductive health care. We’re going to be proud of this baby when she’s here.