U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) made the following statement at a press conference today after the Senate passed a reconciliation bill to adjust the health care reform legislation that was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday.
“Thank you very much Senate Majority Leader Reid for your leadership that has enabled us today to make history.
“Because of this health care legislation, more than 300 million Americans will have better lives because they will have access to health care that will be able to save their lives or improve their lives.
“Today I stand with my Senate colleagues, speaking for the women of the Senate and speaking for the women of America, to say that we really have made history and we are changing history. For us, the women of the Senate, health care is a women’s issue. Health care reform was always a must do women’s issue and health insurance was a must change issue. Why? Every single day, insurance companies practice punitive practices against women. They deny us coverage, they charge us more for the coverage we have and they limit our access to providers.
“Today we change all of that.
“For too long, simply being a woman was treated as a pre-existing condition. We were charged 30 to 40 percent more in our insurance premiums. We wanted equal coverage for equal premiums. Second, when we went for coverage, we were often denied coverage or viewed as having a pre-existing condition.
“Seven states and the District of Columbia denied women coverage because they were victims of domestic violence. One of my hearings revealed that a woman was denied coverage because she had a baby with a medically-mandated C-Section. When she tried to get insurance coverage with another company, she was told she had to be sterilized in order to get health insurance. That will never, ever happen again because of what we did here with health care reform.
“During the debate, they wanted to take our mammograms away from us. Well, we suited up and we took to the floor. They said providing preventive services for women was going to be too expensive. Well, we said breast cancer to a family is too expensive. Cervical cancer is too expensive. The kinds of cancers that can be avoided if detected early through pap tests are too expensive.
“We organized the women of the Senate, we suited up in our pink jackets, the good men joined us and we passed that preventive health insurance amendment. Now if you need a mammogram you can get one. If you need a test for cervical cancer, you can get one. You can get your preventive tests without a deductible and without a copay. Without hesitation, you will be able to get it.
“Today, as we move forward on this important, historic bill, the women of America will be better served, their lives will be saved, they will be able to have early detection and screenings and we did it because we worked together.
“I want to thank to thank the women because we worked together and I want to thank the Democratic men of the Senate because they suited up and joined us in our cause.”