Turkey Talk: Health Care Questions and Lobby Day

As many of you may know, the Senate voted to start debate on their version of the health care reform bill last week. On the left, you can see a handy chart from CBS News that helps you track where  we have been and where we need to go in terms of getting reform implemented.

As you can see, we have a big debate about to happen in the Senate over the bill that has been proposed. Given that the holiday season is approaching, you may also find yourself in the middle of the health care debate with relatives and family members. Therefore, with help from Planned Parenthood and several other sources, I'm going to highlight a few of the outstanding questions about the bill, as well as issue a call to action for the lobby day on December 2nd, where it will be crucial to go to the Capitol and show support for health care reform that doesn't compromise a woman's access to abortion.

What does the Senate version say?

The Senate health care plan would expand insurance coverage to some 31 million uninsured Americans and bar insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions. It would also require most individuals to purchase health coverage either through their employer, on their own or through a public plan.

What is the exchange?

The new health insurance "exchange" or marketplace is intended to provide a new source of affordable, quality coverage for two significant portions of the population. First, the exchange would offer private health plans and a public option to 36 million of the 46 million uninsured Americans. The exchange would also offer coverage to millions of Americans who work for themselves or for small businesses with 100 or fewer employees.

What is the Capps compromise?

The Capps compromise is a fair compromise worked out by pro-choice and anti-choice members of Congress to ensure that no federal funding would be used to pay for abortions while also ensuring that women do not lose the benefits they currently have. The Senate version of the bill does include the similar language to the Capps compromise.

How does the Stupak amendment differ from the Capps amendment?

The Stupak amendment would essentially ban all abortion coverage in the "exchange." The Stupak ban would deny women the right to choose a plan that covers abortion. Stupak would force millions of women to lose private coverage for abortion care, and millions more would be prohibited from buying it even with their own money. The Senate version of the bill does not include the Stupak amendment, but both the House and Senate versions will have to be combined if the Senate passes its bill.

What is the Medicare fix?

It should also be noted that the House last week passed in a separate bill a "Medicare fix" that prevents doctors from seeing a 20 percent pay cut from the federal program. The measure is not paid for and must still be approved in the Senate. Democrats have kept the measure separate from their comprehensive health care reform plan because they want the reform package to be deficit-neutral.

What do the new regulations regarding mammograms and pap smears have to do with health care reform?

The new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which concluded that it is not worth it for women to perform breast self-exams or to get routine mammograms before reaching the age of 50 as well as receive pap smears to screen for cervical cancer before the age of 21. Neither of these guidelines are part of the health care reform bill, although some politicians are using them to derail the conversation. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has already issued a statement that said the task force is only putting forward new information and does not set policy or determine what services the government covers. She also said she would be very surprised if any private insurance companies changed their mammography policies because of the recommendations.

How much is health care going to cost taxpayers?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would be bankrolled with a tax on employer-sponsored group health plans with premiums over $8,500 for individual and $23,000 for family coverage. Offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the plan also calls for a 5.4 percent surtax on adjusted gross personal income exceeding $1 million for couples and $500,000 for individuals, in addition to a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic medical procedures as well new annual fees to insurance companies and manufacturers of medical devices and brand-name prescription drugs.

On Wednesday, December 2nd there will be a DC Lobby Day to ensure that the anti-choice Stupak amendment is not included in the final health care reform legislation. The lobby day is meant to mobilize advocates from all over the country to communicate clearly to members of Congress that women need health reform that covers all of their health needs, including comprehensive reproductive health care.  There is a large coalition of advocacy groups that are building on the wave of pro-choice activism sparked by the passage of the amendment more than two weeks ago in the House.

Below is a video from Planned Parenthood about the need for you to join the movement to Stop Stupak and also help you become a mini-expert on health care reform: