Women’s health care

Aug. 26 was Women’s Equality Day. It’s a time to commemorate passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.

It’s also a chance to highlight the ongoing work of women seeking full equality.

One area where we still need progress is health care. Women currently pay 68 percent more out-of-pocket costs than men largely because of reproductive health care needs. In 2007, 25 percent of women reported delaying or skipping health care because of cost. And one out of five women of child-bearing age is uninsured.

As our elected officials continue to debate how to improve our health care system, this is the time to address some of the disparities that women face. Women’s reproductive health care needs – including things like birth control, annual exams and breast cancer screening – should be included as basic health care in health care reform and should be accessible to all women.

These health needs are not expendable or nonessential. They should not be included as an afterthought nor should they be the subject of political debate. Reproductive health care is simply basic health care for women. It’s 2009 and time we got health care right for women.

Alayna Becker

Spokane