Transcript Women Striding Forward

Women Striding Forward
The incredible, true story of
what the Affordable Care Act
is doing for women and families
Opinions about health reform
37
30
20
Favor
32
30
Oppose
Not sure
But what is it?
• Public opinion research shows that nobody
knows what health reform actually does.
• When they learn about the health care
services and consumer protections it gives,
everyone likes health reform better.
• Support jumps dramatically among certain
people. Who? Women!
Increased support after learning about
the services/protections the ACA provides
70
60
50
40
after
30
before
20
10
0
All voters
Women under 45
Women 45-59
Women 60+
It’s about health care!
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Cancer screenings
Maternity care
Contraceptive coverage
No denial of coverage for pre-existing
conditions
• No gender discrimination in the price of
policies
Too many women cannot afford
the health care we need!
In 2010, 45 million women across
the United States reported that
because of the cost, they:
– Did not fill a prescription;
– Skipped a recommended test,
treatment or follow-up;
– Did not go to the doctor when
they had a medical problem or
– Did not see a specialist when it
was needed.
Commonwealth Fund, May 2011
Women losing coverage
in a tough economy
“I am a 40-year-old
survivor of breast
cancer. I lost my
coverage. I’ve lived in
this country and worked
all my life. Why don’t I
have health insurance
when I need it?”
The ACA will help you whether you
have health insurance or don’t
• Help for women and families who are
uninsured and can’t afford health care.
• Help for women and families who have
insurance that doesn’t cover what they need,
or is too expensive to use.
• Coverage for women’s health needs across our
lifespans.
Prevention first!
All new insurance plans are required to cover key
preventive services, without charging us co-pays or
deductibles. Some have started already:
 mammograms
 Pap smears
 anemia & hepatitis B screening for pregnant
women
 blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing
 counseling about quitting smoking, losing weight,
choosing healthy foods, treating depression,
reducing alcohol use
New women’s preventive services
covered as soon as August 1
comprehensive contraceptive care!
an annual well-woman care exam
screening for sexually-transmitted diseases
breastfeeding counseling and equipment
screening for gestational diabetes
screening and counseling for intimate partner
violence
Keeping our kids healthy
 Well-baby visits
 Immunizations
 Screenings for autism, lead
exposure
 Vision and hearing tests
 Obesity screening
 Drug, alcohol use assessments
for adolescents
Protection from unfair insurance
company practices
• Insurers cannot cancel
your policy if you get
sick or make a mistake
in your insurance
application.
• Insurers cannot set
lifetime dollar limits on
the amount of medical
care they will cover. (No
annual limits in 2014)
No coverage denials for kids with
pre-existing conditions
Nurse Abby Drucker’s
grand-niece was born with
hearing loss. The family’s
health insurer denied
coverage for treatment,
calling it a “pre-existing
condition.” That is now
against the law.
Ensuring more of your health
premium dollars go to medical care
• Insurance companies now have to give rebates to
consumers if they don’t spend at least 80 percent of
the premium dollars they collect on actually
providing medical care.
• They will be forced to spend less on CEO salaries,
marketing and overhead.
• They have to make this information public, so you
can make better insurance choices.
Peace of mind for moms!
• Our young adult children can
stay on family health policies
until their 26th birthdays.
• Young adult does not have to
live at home, be unmarried or
be a dependent for tax
purposes.
• Important for young women in
prime reproductive years.
Looking ahead to 2014
• No charging women more
than men for the same
policy (“gender rating”)
• No denials of coverage for
adults with pre-existing
conditions.
• Maternity care must be
covered.
Covering millions more Americans
• New state insurance “exchanges” are due to
open in January 2014.
• Uninsured moderate-income individuals and
families can shop for private insurance made
more affordable by federal subsidies.
• More low-income people will be eligible for
Medicaid coverage.
• It’s a place to go if you lose your coverage!
The ACA: historic legislation
for women and our families
•Women voters helped make health care a national priority.
•Millions of women and our families across the country will gain
access to good quality and affordable basic health care services.
•The ACA addresses women’s health needs across our lifespans,
and includes a new standard for covering well-woman services.
•The law’s impact on women’s health will be
comparable to Title IX’s impact on women’s
education and sports.
Building public understanding of and support
for the Affordable Care Act:
1. Women are key to increasing support and intensity of support
for the law, but like men, are not paying attention to the
Affordable Care Act.
2. A consumer frame shifts the emphasis from a political debate
to a consumer conversation on protection (no pre-existing
conditions), prevention services (mammograms, birth control,
cancer screenings) and non-discrimination.
3. Shifting the emphasis from a political frame to a consumer
frame helps move women as supporters, bridges generations of
women and does not alienate men.
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4. Voters strongly support health care services that fall under a
broad wellness and prevention frame. The most powerful
message is simply the services included in the ACA.
5. Independent women, older women and women of color are key
populations to inform, persuade and mobilize.
6. Specific populations of women respond to different messages
about services: young women to birth control; older women to
cancer screenings, etc. with no co-pays, no-deductible.
7. Effective messages tap into core values of prevention and
wellness, security and peace of mind and protection.
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How will the Countdown to
Coverage campaign unfold?
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Momentum, building toward 2014
Showing steps taken and what’s still to come
Traditional and social media
Telling women’s stories
Giving women information from trusted
sources
When and for how long?
• Preview here in Michigan this week.
• Launching at the 2nd anniversary of the
Affordable Care Act becoming law
• Kick-off week: March 19-23
• Continue through Fall 2012 and into 2013
Women’s health throughout the year
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April: Supreme Court hearing arguments
May: Mother’s Day
June: Supreme Court decision
July: drum beat for August 1
August: women’s preventive
health rules in effect!
• September: back to school
Campaign materials
• Factsheets: Top Ten list and more
• Templates and samples to localize the
information
• How to embed messages about women in
broader health reform information
• Support for using a news hook like Cervical
Cancer Awareness month to talk about how
women benefits from health reform
Spread the word: The ACA is
Good for women and our families!
• Tell someone you know about what women
and our families are getting from the ACA.
• Host an educational session in your
neighborhood, your church or community
center.
• Distribute Countdown to Coverage fact sheets
in your community.
Tell women’s stories
www.CountdowntoCoverage.org
Raising Women’s Voices
for the Health Care We Need
and
Michigan Consumers for Healthcare
www.consumersforhealthcare.org
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 212-870-2010
Twitter: @ourcountdown