It’s no surprise at this point that there is a harsh discrimination against women in health care being favored at the moment in today’s government. So, of course, it comes with no shock that the new health care repeal bill shows absolutely no sympathy for women.
What exactly will this bill do, you ask? To name a few bullet points in summary, the Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal will:
– End nationwide protection for maternity coverage.
– Allow women to be charged more than men.
– Block accessing preventive care at Planned Parenthood including birth control, cancer screenings, and regular check-ups.
– Impose nationwide ban on private insurance coverage for abortions.
That’s only four of the 15 points listed that can be found on Twitter. As these four points show, women’s health, women’s financial security, and families are all being affected negatively. What can be found most shocking is that it is 2017 and the Republican-run government feels obliged to make women feel like their gender is a curse.
Many don’t understand what is at stake here for most women. With this bill, not only is their right to choose with birth control, maternity leave, and abortions being taken away, but also the planned restructured Medicaid will hurt millions of women and children who rely on it for basic health care needs. With this, women of color are targeted the most, where 30 percent of black women and 24 percent of Hispanic women rely on Medicaid.
So what can individuals do to fight this bill? Democratic senator Kamala Harris made it apparent that you can simply call your representatives and tell them to vote NO on the bill. This is the surest way that your voice could be heard by a member of Congress. Hopefully, if everyone bands together, we can gain back control of the rights women fought so hard for in the first place.