health care

Fans of healthcare reform can thank Nancy Pelosi's lucky lavender pumps for the Affordable Care Act being upheld today. They were the same shoes the US House Minority Leader wore when President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law passed in 2010, and she wore them today when it was upheld as constitutional. The goal of the law, known also as "Obamacare," is for more Americans to have affordable health insurance. And one of the most controversial provisions is that if you choose not to buy health insurance you'll be subject to a tax. The healthcare reform law has been in limbo for the past two years, so now that the Supreme Court has given it the go-ahead, what does it mean for women? Here's how the ACA affects you:

• Mammograms Without Copays: You can receive preventive services — such as mammograms and Pap tests — without paying copays. And for women on Medicare, you can get free mammograms.
• Access For Young Women: Getting health insurance is made more accessible for young women. If you're under 26, you can still use your parents' health insurance plan, no matter your relationship status.
• Affordable Birth Control: Contraception is made more affordable. Insurance companies and employers are required to cover your birth control, be it for pregnancy prevention or medical reasons, without copays.
• Preexisting Condition Coverage: Insurance companies can't deny you coverage for a preexisting condition like breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, or diabetes. In the past, women could have been denied from health insurance for what they deemed "preexisting," which could even be pregnancy or being a domestic violence survivor.
• Choice of Doctors: You can choose your ob/gyn doctor without worrying about gaining approval from your insurance company.

How do you feel about the favorable ruling on Obamacare?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could replace the "breast is best" slogan with "breast is easiest"? While doctors, new moms groups, and even the government are quick to point out the health benefits of mother's milk, most first-time mothers can tell you that actually getting that liquid gold into a baby's mouth isn't always easy.

Today, US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin will issue a report outlining steps "all sectors of the community" can take to remove the hurdles women face when trying to breastfeed during the first six months of a baby's life. While the new health care laws require employers of large companies to provide new moms with dedicated time and space for pumping (not including the bathroom), the nation's highest ranking medical professional says there are more obstacles to be cleared. Perhaps one of the first places she should look is the I.R.S.'s decision to tax breast pumps, rather than considering them a medical care expense.

What was the biggest hurdle you faced in nursing your tot?

• Healthcare reform policies bring big wins for antiabortion camp — Huffington Post
• Sexy spy Anna Chapman wants $250,000 book deal — NY Post
• Sarah Palin slams the idea of a mosque at Ground Zero via Twitter — Daily Beast
• The Jersey Shore cast is on strike — Gawker
• Sperm bank organizes donors by their celebrity doppelgangers — NBC
• Inception is a box office dream — BuzzSugar
• Glee actress gets Botox at 18 — The Frisky

• Obama won't include birth control in list of free preventative services — Feministing
• Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem got married in secret! — PopSugar
• Oprah and Obama are on Chelsea Clinton's guest list — Radar
• Carla Bruni looked chic at France's Bastille Day parade — Huffington Post
• Bill Clinton to be subject of new opera, "Billy Blythe" — NY Daily News
• "Genetic sexual attraction" might explain why a mother would sleep with son — Salon
• Woman with world's largest breasts might die from them — The Frisky
• Did Bristol and Levi reunite to make a reality show? — Gawker

We'll begin seeing the first stages of healthcare reform this Fall when insurers start covering preventative care at no extra cost. Among those benefits women and advocates hope for? Birth control.

There are three million unplanned pregnancies in the United States every year. And, according to Guttmacher Institute, there were 1.21 million legal abortions in 2005. That's a lot of unplanning!

Prohibitive cost is one of the most common reasons women opt out of birth control. Even those who can afford something often pass up more effective methods like IUDs or hormonal implants for cheaper, less reliable options like the pill or condoms.

Yet not everyone sees birth control as "preventative care," even though it prevents the very medical condition of pregnancy. "Preventive care should be about preventing disease," said US Conference of Catholic Bishops spokeswoman Deirdre McQuade. "Fertility is not a disease to be cured, and the government should not treat it as that."

If women and pro-choice groups won't be listened to, then maybe we should take it from business. The National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers, supports covering contraception because, ultimately, it saves money. Prenatal and maternity care costs between $8,000 and $11,000 — far more than even the priciest birth control.

If it takes a village to raise a child, it's very likely that the village includes a nurse or two. Many US insurance companies provide their members with telephone access to nurses throughout their pregnancies and during the first few months of their lil ones' lives. While the Obama administration has offered up Text4Baby, a mobile health service providing parents with updates timed to their offspring's birth date, the new health care law may now provide mamas-to-be (and new moms) with the opportunity to meet with nurses face-to-face.

According to a recent report in USA Today, visits to the homes of pregnant women and new mothers from nurses and social workers has physical, emotional, and financial benefits. In addition to teaching new mums how to care for their tots, it helps them find food, shelter, and proper medical care while saving, "up to $5.70 for every dollar invested." Currently, only two percent of first-time moms receive these visits – usually paid for by insurance or private foundations – but that number is likely to increase drastically.

Would you have welcomed home visits from a nurse during your child's first few years?

Following a massive overdose of Heparin, Dennis Quaid's 10-day-old twins fought for their lives for 41 hours, until their blood began clotting normally. The mistake, which occurred when the newborns were given an adult dose of the blood-thinning drug, rather than a similarly labeled baby dose, has made the actor and his wife activists for the implementation of "safe practices" at hospitals. To raise awareness of the issue, and help introduce changes the Quaids are speaking out and have produced Chasing Zero: Winning the War on Healthcare Harm, a documentary that will air on Discovery Channel next week. The actor also sat down with Dr. Charles Denham, chairman of Texas Medical Institute of Technology, to discuss how patients can take precautions during a hospital stay. Their advice includes:

• Having a loved one, or caretaker, stay with the patient at all times.
• Insisting that everyone who comes in contact with the patient wash his or her hands.
• Carrying a list of prescribed medications with you at all times.
• Asking doctors and nurses what medications they are giving you and why.
• Taking your medical records with you when you leave (and giving them to your next doctor).

Did you take any precautionary measures to ensure that you and your tot were properly cared for in the hospital?

The headlines were glaring – almost nine percent of US children are living without health insurance, fearing every cold, cough, or earache they encountered each year. With the House of Representatives’ passage of the Senate’s bill, those 8.7 million tots can rest a bit easier.

As the healthcare reform debate dies down, the country’s youngest citizens are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new bill. Here are five ways the new legislation will help children.

• Beginning this year, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions.
• Also beginning this year, insurance companies will no longer place lifetime caps on policies, or drop a patient if he gets sick.
• Insurance companies will be required to pay for preventive services, including medical procedures as vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
• For parents of older kids, you will now be able to keep them on your insurance until they are 26-years-old.
• The Children's Health Insurance Program, which helps lower-income families, will be maintained in its current condition, even by states that are looking to cut costs.