Honor Yourself, Honor All

When any woman honors herself, all women collectively move closer

to becoming what they are truly capable of being.

There are many ways and reasons for women to honor and embrace all that they are.  By honoring her experience and being willing to share it with others - both male and female - she teaches as she learns. When she can trust herself and her inner voice, she teaches those around her to trust her as well. She  allows all to see the self-respect she possesses and accepts their respect, too, that is offered through look, word, and deed.

When a woman can look back into her past, doing so without regret and instead seeing only lessons that brought her to her current strength and wisdom, she embraces the fullness of her experience.

What a nice sentiment. If we can build each other up the unity will stand strong when someone tries to tears us down.

How women benefit

Most people don't know this, but the big health care bill that President Obama signed has a ton of benefits in it that impact women specifically. And studies show that the more people know about what's in the bill, the more likely they are to support it and use those great new benefits. Right now--when health care is in the news and lots of people will be talking about it--is a great time to share what's in it that's great for women with your friends and colleagues.

Top 5 Benefits for Women in the Health Care Law

1. Being a woman is no longer a "pre-existing condition."  Yes, women were denied coverage for just being women before the Affordable Care Act was law. Insurance companies would classify pregnancy, c-sections or even being a domestic violence or rape survivor as pre-existing conditions ¹and deny coverage on that basis. Women will no longer be denied care² for pre-existing conditions.

2. Insurance companies can't charge you more for being a woman either. Before the Affordable Care Act was law, women were sometimes charged up to 150% more than men of the same age. The health care law makes gender discrimination illegal.³

3. Having a pap smear still sucks, but at least you don't have to shell out a co-pay for it.Breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, domestic violence counseling and screenings and a whole bunch of other preventive care measures must be covered by insurance companies.⁴

4. You also don't need a co-pay for birth control anymore.⁵ And when 1 in 3 women in our country can't afford it, that's a big deal.

5. Have kids? Or want to? The law helps with that too. If you have kids, they can stay on your health insurance until they're 26 years old--regardless of whether they live with you or are married or not.⁶ And if you want to have kids, the law will help you get pre-natal care and counseling and help with breast feeding and supplies too.⁷

Sources:

1. "I Am Not A Pre-Existing Condition," RH Reality Check, October 14, 2009
2. "The Affordable Care Act Gives Women Greater Control Over Their Own Health Care." White House Fact-sheet
3. Ibid
4. "Preventive Services Covered Under the Affordable Care Act," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
5."Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
6. "Young Adult Coverage," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet
7. "Women's Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines," Department of Health and Human Services Fact-sheet

From:
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/signup/hcrtop5/?akid=59.118595.XS2aX4&rd=1&t=1

Healthcare in High Court

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/supreme-court-health-care-reform-case-expect-094452929.html

Today, March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether to keep or kill the largest reform package for healthcare in America, and their decision affects the 99% far more than the 1% (*of which most judges probably fall into that category.)
I am part of the 99 percent and this action scares the bejesus out of me. First, I was witness to the fiasco when the Supreme Court basically stole the presidency from Al Gore, and plunged us into a four-year debacle that had the younger George Bush sending this country into spiraling debt. (Remember President Bill Clinton left office with a balanced budget). But I digress.
For the next three days, the Court's Honorable Judges will decide whether 30 million Americans will be able to get health insurance - something that should be an inalienable right! Twenty-six states, including my home state of Colorado (how embarrassing) joined forces to question the validity of the newly-embraced moniker of Obamacare, named for our beloved President Barack Obama, who passed this law as one of the first he signed during his first term.
Insurance companies forced this action because Obamacare will mandate that no-one with a pre-existing condition can be denied health insurance (jeez, who needs it most!). It also limits how much insurance companies can charge older people.
Obamacare also expands Medicare and will open coverage to more than 15 million who earn too much to qualify. The Congressional Budget Office says by 2019, with Obamacare, 95 percent of all Americans will have health insurance. 
I don't. And I don't think it should be an issue. Everyone needs health insurance. Without the Veterans Administration (VA - I am a U.S. Navy veteran) I would be dead. I wonder how many others who are uninsured couldn't wait.

Okay, I like Obamacare

Obamacare turns two years old today. It's a big day for the young law. That's why people across the country are joining us today in saying Thanks Obamacare.

• Thanks from the 20 million women in the U.S. who have taken advantage of the law's preventative care benefits.

• Thanks from the 973,000 Coloradans who received at least one new preventative service in 2011.

• Thanks from the 28 million children in the U.S. for getting rid of lifetime coverage benefits.

• Thanks from the 2.5 million people under the age of 26 who are now able to stay on their parents' health insurance.

• Thanks for making sure no woman is ever denied coverage by removing pregnancy and domestic abuse as pre-existing conditions.

Join I will Not Be Denied

Thanks to the health care law:

• Over 20 million women with private insurance have received at least one preventive health care service without a co-pay or deductible.
• Over 39 million women no longer face lifetime limits on coverage, so they can get the health care they need.
• About 2.5 million young adults gained health coverage because they could stay on their parents' plans.

And this is just the beginning. The health care law is working for women by helping them get the care they need. So why are some opponents of the law fighting to take away these benefits and common-sense protections?   


Join the national I Will Not Be Denied movement now. http://www.nwlc.org//i-will-not-be-denied-protect-womens-health-care

Disgusting

From NARAL ProChoice America:

The attacks on women’s insurance coverage for birth control and other reproductive-health services keep coming fast.

• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops – which has a $26 million lobbying budget – declared that its top priority is gutting the new birth-control policy.
• One anti-choice organization that encourages its supporters to harass abortion providers – the Pro-Life Action League – is organizing rallies across the country this Friday.
• And in less than a week, the Supreme Court will soon hear arguments from 26 governors who want to overturn the health-care law that President Obama signed into law two years ago.

Colorado Dems Mark War on Women

Welcome to my blog. For several weeks, we've seen Republicans constantly attacking women. With each incident, it's becoming clear that sexist comments and anti-woman policies aren't limited to the party's fringe or isolated individuals. With so many attacks happening from so many people in the GOP, we can't pretend that this is anything but a full-scale attack on the basic rights and protections that American women deserve.

Just consider what we've seen in the past few weeks:

• After Rush Limbaugh called a law student a "slut" after she testified about the importance of access to birth control for women, not a single Republican presidential candidate was willing to stand up to such a vile comment. The leader of the free world has to stand up to much tougher characters than Limbaugh, and Mitt Romney and his challengers failed this leadership test miserably.

• The so-called "Personhood" movement is working across the country-including here in Colorado-to push a radical anti-choice agenda. They would outlaw abortions even in cases of rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Unsurprisingly, Mitt Romney has supported their efforts.

• Just this week, Republican senators are attempting to block the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which supports investigations and prosecutions of violent attacks on American women. This policy, which has a long record of fighting against domestic violence and sexual assault, is suddenly another object of Republican gamesmanship and gridlock.

• At the beginning of the week, Mitt Romney was searching for votes in Mississippi and Alabama (he only managed 3rd-place finishes in both states) and pledged to "get rid of" Planned Parenthood. This organization has provided vital health services to women for nearly a century, and one in five American women rely on their low-cost access to health screenings and care. But the health needs of tens of millions of women mean little to Mitt Romney when a handful of votes are available.

These aren't isolated incidents. Top Republicans from across the country are consistently allowing these attacks on American women. If you're as offended as I am by this kind of debate and dialogue, than please stand with me and with Colorado Democrats as we make clear that the rights of American women are untouchable.

Sincerely,

Rick Palacio
Chairman, Colorado Democratic Party