Oral

For far too long, women in the United States have relied on a health care system that is failing them. They face unfair health insurance practices such as gender rating or coverage exclusions of health care services that only women need. They struggle to afford necessary health care, sometimes going without it altogether. Yet 2009 marks a year of unprecedented opportunity to ensure that women have access to the health care they need. This session will explore the need for comprehensive reform that addresses longstanding gender inequities in the health system, the progress that has been made in health reform to date, and the role women have played—and continue to play—in national campaigns for affordable, high-quality health care for all.

Session Objectives: 1. Identify characteristics of women’s health care needs and use, and describe the unique barriers that women face in accessing affordable, comprehensive health care coverage; 2. Describe proposed or enacted 2009 federal health reform efforts to date, and how these efforts will address women’s unique health care needs and special challenges; and 3. Evaluate the role that women have played as advocates for comprehensive health reform.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)