DELAURO URGES EQUITY FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the National Women's Law Center findings that women across the country continue to suffer from egregious "gender rating" by the health insurance industry.

The National Women's Law Center estimates that gender rating costs women, and their families, approximately $1 billion a year. The report notes that in states that have not banned gender rating, over 90 percent of best-selling plans charge women more than men for coverage. At the same time, less than five percent of those plans cover maternity services. The Affordable Care Act eliminates gender rating, requires all insurance plans to provide maternity coverage, and incorporates comprehensive women's preventive health services into insurance coverage.

"The Affordable Care Act put women's health and access to affordable insurance on par with men for the first time. The Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act would only further harm women's health and continue to allow industry to charge women more than men for comparable insurance that often does not cover their basic health needs. I urge my colleagues to strengthen the protections for women and their families in the law rather than forcing women more to pay more for inadequate insurance coverage."