[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H5537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       WOMEN'S PREVENTIVE HEALTH

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, 26 years ago, I was diagnosed with 
ovarian cancer. I was lucky. I had excellent doctors. They detected the 
cancer by chance in stage I. If my cancer had not been caught early, I 
might not be speaking to you today. Many women are not so lucky because 
they have never had access to preventive health care.
  That is why I am so pleased to see that today, thanks to the 
Affordable Care Act, more lifesaving preventive services will begin to 
be covered for women all over the country. Last year, 54 million 
Americans with private health insurance gained access to preventive 
services without cost sharing, including over 700,000 in my State of 
Connecticut.
  Starting today, 47 million American women, including over 600,000 
Connecticut women, will now have access to well-women visits, 
screenings for gestational diabetes, HPV and HIV, contraception, and 
counseling and support for STIs, breast feeding, and for domestic 
violence.
  A report in 2009 found that more than half of American women delayed 
or avoided necessary care because they could not afford it. This is why 
we passed the Affordable Care Act.
  Let's help Americans get quality care. Let's save lives.

                          ____________________