WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Women’s health care at the top of the agenda – again

Last year, Washingtonians began purchasing health care through the online marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, for the very first time. Though great news, there inevitably was some confusion about what plans offer what services. This confusion was compounded with regards to reproductive services.

Enter the Reproductive Parity Act (RPA) – which brings fairness and clarity to this process. The bill, which was heard again Monday, simply requires that plans offering coverage for maternity services must also cover abortion services.

There’s no decision more important than when a woman chooses whether or not to have a child. This decision belongs to a woman and her family – not her insurance plan, not her employer, and certainly not her legislator.

Furthermore, she should make her decision knowing that all her options will be covered by her health insurance. That is, after all, why we have insurance – for the unexpected events life hands us.

Even before Washington Healthplanfinder got up-and-running, House Democrats knew that this could be a problem. House Health Care and Wellness Chair Eileen Cody has introduced this bill twice previously. The bill passed the House last year, but died in the Senate.

“There’s a reason I’ve brought this bill forward three years in a row,” said Rep. Cody. “This year, some insurance carriers began dropping coverage of abortion services – just as we feared. Today, women are buying plans and are not receiving equal coverage for their pregnancy choice. The RPA will clear up this confusion, giving Washington women the clarity they need to make the right decision for their family.”

This bill continues Washington state’s long record of leading the nation in women’s health. Two years before the U.S. Supreme Court issued Roe v. Wade, Washingtonians approved Referendum 20, which legalized abortion in the early stages of pregnancy.

Then again in 1991, when it looked like Roe could be overturned, voters approved Initiative 120. I-120 protected a women’s right to make a private choice with her doctor in this state – no matter what occurred at the federal level.

House Democrats have received national attention for bucking the trend on women’s health. Check out this peice in The New York Times last year, as well as this updated story at Think Progress.