[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 21, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   WOMEN'S HEALTH WEDNESDAY: AFFORDABLE CARE ACT'S BENEFITS FOR WOMEN

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, for decades, women 
in this country have unfairly borne the burden of excessive health care 
costs. Fortunately, through the Affordable Care Act, millions of women 
no longer have to worry about going bankrupt if they get sick.
  The Affordable Care Act ensures that being a woman will no longer be 
treated as a preexisting condition. The Affordable Care Act bans 
insurance companies from requiring women to obtain a referral for 
access to necessary OB/GYN care and bans insurance companies from 
dropping women when they get sick or pregnant.
  Despite these accomplishments in women's health, the war on women 
continues in Texas. Governor Perry's political decision to forgo nearly 
$40 million in Federal funding for the Texas Medicaid Women's Health 
Program will leave 130,000 women without access to preventative health 
services.
  Despite these obstacles, I will continue to fight for the increased 
access to quality health care for women in Texas.

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