185260 Universal Health Care is a Women's Issue: The California Experience

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 4:50 PM

Destiny Lopez, MPA , ACCESS/Women's Health Rights Coalition, Oakland, CA
Emily Galpern, MPH , Project on Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice, Generations Ahead, Oakland, CA
Of California's 11 million women ages 19 through 64, 22% - or 2.5 million women - are uninsured. They represent more than half the population, live longer and are more likely to have chronic health problems as they age. Women use more health care services over the course of their lives than men. At the same time, they earn less, and are less likely to have jobs with health benefits. Consequently, women are more dependent on public and spousal coverage – two forms of health coverage that are most threatened by state deficits and employer cost-shifting. California recently experienced a window of opportunity to address the unique health care needs of women in California. The health reform plan negotiated by the governor and legislative leaders took steps in the right direction, promising to create a new state purchasing pool to offer affordable coverage to working women and to cover millions of low-income women through expanded public programs. But, to address the health care challenges women face, the reform plan had to create accessible, affordable and comprehensive coverage. The Women's Working Group on Universal Health Care, a collaboration of diverse women's organizations working to move California toward universal access to health care by educating and involving women and women's organizations in state and local health reform efforts, engaged in policy analysis, advocacy and public education to promote widespread understanding that universal health care is a women's issue during both the creation of Healthy San Francisco and health care reform efforts in Sacramento.

Learning Objectives:
List six indicators of health care reform plans that are responsive to the needs of women and girls. Analyze a health care reform package through the diverse lenses of women and girls. Create public education and policy advocacy activities that engage women in the health care reform debate.

Keywords: Health Care Reform, Women

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Former presenter at APHA; over 60% of the female population that my organization partners with are uninsured or covered under Medi-Cal, California's state Medicaid program; member of the Executive Committee of the Women's Working Group on Universal Health Care
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.