Bills Boost Health Care For Women Female Lawmakers From Both Parties Want To ‘Fill The Gaps’ In Insurance Coverage

A group of women lawmakers said Monday they will try to rise above partisan rivalries to push through proposals this year to “fill the gaps” in health-care coverage for women.

Women continue to get shortchanged in medical benefits, and it’s time the Republican-controlled Legislature addressed the problem, the group of seven Democrats and one Republican said at a news conference to drum up support for their proposals.

Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, acknowledged that the Legislature is controlled by Republican men and that they are not known for their zeal to regulate the insurance industry or look out for the health needs of the female population.

But, she said, the men do understand it’s good to save money, and a large chunk of the legislative package would do that.

Two of the proposals would make it easier for people to get “family planning services,” mainly contraceptives.

The goal, said Sen. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, is to reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions.

“Unintended pregnancies often result in poor health outcomes for the children, about 30 percent end in abortions, the mothers have more problems and the taxpayers have more problems,” said Brown. “I would think anyone who is anti-abortion would like this.”

But on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the landmark abortion case Roe vs. Wade, some Republican men were skeptical. They feared a hidden pro-choice agenda, suggested the proposals wouldn’t focus enough on abstinence, and said they might actually make abortion an option to more women.

The first of the bills would prohibit health insurers that offer prescription benefits from excluding contraceptives in that coverage.

While most health maintenance organizations cover some sort of contraception, about half of traditional fee-for-service insurers provide no contraceptive coverage at all, according to a 1993 study by The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a not-for-profit reproductive research group.

“Basically, if you pay for pharmaceutical coverage now, you would still have to pay for contraception,” Brown said.

But Rep. Brad Benson, R-Spokane, said he found it hard to believe insurance plans didn’t already cover some contraceptive devices. Calling it “the condom bill,” Benson wondered how and if coverage would be extended to include men.

“I don’t think a guy could get coverage for a condom,” he said. “But most people’s co-payment would be higher than they cost anyway.”

A second bill would provide family planning for Medicaid recipients whose family income falls below 200 percent of the poverty level.

The state now provides services to families with incomes up to 185 percent of the poverty level. Washington could collect federal dollars at a 9-1 ratio to pay for most of the increase, Brown said.

“It’s not a new program. It’s an expansion that would bring more people under the umbrella,” Brown said.

But Benson said that also would increase the pool of people eligible for taxpayer-supported abortions. He also speculated that most unintended pregnancies among Medicaid recipients were to “kids” who shouldn’t be given contraception.

“I think the best way to curb this is abstinence education in our schools,” he said.

Rep. Duane Sommers, R-Spokane, wasn’t sure what to make of the idea, but shared Benson’s concerns.

“I have no problem with family planning for people over 21 and for married couples, but my problem is giving contraceptives to children,” he said.

Another of the proposals would require every health insurance policy that covers hospital, surgical or medical care to also cover maternity care, including hospital, surgical or medical needs. One more to be offered is a Senate bill to ensure health care coverage for women with eating disorders.

Only one Republican attended the news conference, Rep. Kathy Lambert, R-Woodinville. But Cody said two other GOP women, Sen. Shirley Winsley of Tacoma and Rep. Maryann Mitchell of Federal Way were unable to make it at the last minute.

“This is not a partisan issue. This is an issue for all women,” Lambert said.

Cody said female lawmakers showed in 1996 that by banding together despite party affiliation, they could improve health care for all women. She was referring to a bipartisan vote to push through a measure requiring insurance companies to pay for hospital stays for new mothers for at least 48 hours after giving birth, and 96 hours for Caesarean sections.

Sponsors were spurred by reports of “drive-through deliveries” - hospitals being pressured to release new mothers as soon as possible because insurance companies didn’t want to pay for longer stays.

Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, who attended the news conference, said despite strides in recent years to ensure better coverage for maternity and other women’s care, her agency has identified “several troubling gaps.”

Among other things, she said, her staff has found “the indication that a significant number of carriers are not extending automatic coverage to infants for 21 days after birth, as required by state law.”

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = From staff and wire reports Staff writer Craig Welch contributed to this report.