[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1265-E1266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE WOMEN'S OBSTETRICIAN AND GYNECOLOGIST MEDICAL ACCESS NOW ACT (THE 
                               WOMAN ACT)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2005

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, today, I am reintroducing the 
Women's Obstetrician and Gynecologist Medical Access Now Act, the WOMAN 
Act. This bill will ensure that every woman has direct access to her 
ob-gyn.
  I believe women should not need a permission slip to receive ob-gyn 
care. Unfortunately, that is the reality faced by many women when they 
need to see their doctor. Numerous managed care plans require women to 
visit their primary care physicians before seeking the health care 
services they need from the providers they want. Denying direct access, 
or forcing women to jump through numerous bureaucratic hoops to see 
their ob-gyn is not acceptable treatment.
  The WOMAN Act recognizes women have different medical needs than men 
and the significant role ob-gyns play in women's health. Women who see 
an ob-gyn on a regular basis are more likely to receive important 
screening services such as pelvic exams, as well as counseling on 
critical reproductive health issues. My legislation removes the 
barriers complicating women's access to their doctors. Women will no 
longer have to contend with the gatekeeper system that can prevent or 
delay appropriate care.
  It is easy to understand what a difference direct ob-gyn access makes 
in women's health care. Imagine, for a moment, a woman in San

[[Page E1266]]

Diego who works 45 hours a week and has limited sick and vacation time. 
Now, imagine she has an urgent medical problem requiring an ob-gyn 
visit. On Monday, she calls from work to make an appointment with her 
primary care physician. If she is lucky, she gets an appointment for 
the following morning. She takes time off Tuesday to go see her doctor. 
Her primary care doctor agrees she should be seen by her ob-gyn and 
gives her a referral. Tuesday afternoon she returns to work and calls 
her ob-gyn for an appointment. The doctor is in surgery on Wednesday, 
but they offer her an appointment on Friday morning. On Friday she 
takes another morning off from work and finally, after almost a week, 
gets the care she needs. The unnecessary referral process resulted in 
her taking an extra morning off work and delayed her proper medical 
care by 5 days. The patient, employer, primary care physician, and 
health plan provider would have saved money and time if the patient had 
been able to go directly to her ob-gyn.

  The public overwhelmingly supports direct access to ob-gyn care. A 
survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University 
found that 82 percent support direct access legislation and 63 percent 
would support it even if their health insurance costs increased.
  While serving in the California State Assembly, I heard from many 
women who experienced the same problems I have outlined today. After 
meeting with women, obstetricians and gynecologists, health plan 
representatives, and providers in the State of California, I wrote the 
state law allowing women direct access to their ob-gyn. That law was a 
good first step; however, it still does not cover women enrolled in 
self-insured, federally regulated health plans. This means that even if 
a woman lives in a state with direct access protections, like 
California, she may not be able to see her ob-gyn without a referral if 
she is covered by a federally regulated ERISA health plan.
  I believe the time has come to make direct access to an ob-gyn a 
national standard.
  I urge you, Mr. Speaker, and all of my colleagues to pass this 
critical legislation into law.

                          ____________________