Women need health reform that works for us. Insurance practices that discriminate against women must end. Join the fight for affordable, accessible, comprehensive care that covers reproductive health, including abortion care.

Demand Health Care Reform that Works for Women

Tell Congress to pass health care legislation that meets the needs of women and our families.

Show your support

Donate and get a t–shirt or bumper sticker

Your donation supports our success and wearing your T–shirt raises visibility for the critical need for health care reform that works for women!

Please note shirts are women's cut, 100% cotton, and the sizes run very small.

Get the facts

The current health care system does not meet the needs of women.

Please click on each statement for more info

• Women who buy health coverage directly from insurance companies face unfair and discriminatory practices
  • Insurers in most states can consider gender when setting premiums. Because of this “gender rating,” women are often charged more than men for the exact same coverage.
  • In eight states and D.C., it is still legal for insurers to reject a woman’s health insurance application if she is a survivor of domestic violence.
  • If a woman has previously had a Caesarean section, insurers may refuse to pay for future C-sections or reject her application altogether.
• Necessary health care is unaffordable for many women
  • Women spend a greater percentage of their income on health care. (On average, women earn less than men and also use the health care system more due in part to their reproductive health needs.)
  • Women are more likely than men to have problems paying medical bills – even if they have insurance.
  • Women are more likely than men underinsured – that is, have health insurance that still leaves them at great financial risk.
• Women struggle to find coverage for important benefits
  • Women need coverage for a full range of reproductive health services, but many plans do not cover these services.
  • Women are more likely to use several health care services (such as prescription drugs and mental health care) that many health plans limit or exclude altogether.
  • It is very difficult and sometimes impossible for women to find coverage for maternity care in the individual health insurance market.

All Americans deserve affordable, accessible and comprehensive health care.

Please click on each statement for more info

• An end to unfair and discriminatory practices
  • Coverage must not be denied due to pre-existing conditions.
  • People must not be charged more because of their gender, age or health status.
  • Insurers must not refuse to cover treatment for certain conditions or revoke the existing policies of customers who have been paying premiums for years.
  • Government must play a strong watchdog role to ensure that the reforms are enforced.
• Care that is affordable for everyone
  • Health coverage must be affordable, relative to income.
  • Affordability should be based on all the costs of a woman’s health care, including insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-payments.
  • There should be adequate sliding scale subsidies for people who are ineligible for programs like Medicaid but who can’t afford the total cost of their health coverage.
• Comprehensive coverage for all of the care we need
  • Health insurance must cover the services that women need to stay healthy and to treat physical and mental illnesses at all stages of life.
  • Reforms should set a standard for benefits that requires coverage for all necessary care, including preventive care and a full range of reproductive health services.
• Coverage for a full range of reproductive health services
  • All FDA-approved contraceptives should be covered.
  • No woman should lose abortion coverage she now has.
  • Other covered services must include infertility services, sterilization and maternity care.

The National Women’s Law Center’s new report, Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition, provides sobering new data about the inequities that women face in health insurance.

Get the Widget

About the National Women's Law Center

Got to Show Support

Media Center

For press inquiries, please contact:

The National Women’s Law Center’s new report, Still Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition, provides sobering new data about the inequities that women face in health insurance.