[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 26533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HEALTH CARE REFORM: HOW IT WILL BENEFIT WOMEN

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CHU. Women of America, Republicans want you to believe that our 
health care reform bill is poison, that doing nothing is better for the 
Nation. But it is the status quo that is poison.
  Today, women are forced to settle for less health care at a higher 
price. We pay as much as 50 percent more than men, a practice of 
discrimination that is legal in 38 States. But this bill prohibits 
insurance companies from charging women more for the same coverage.
  Today, women are turned away from buying insurance due to so-called 
preexisting conditions such as domestic violence, pregnancy, and C-
sections. But this bill makes it illegal to deny coverage due to any 
preexisting condition, including breast cancer.
  Today fewer than half of America's women can get health insurance 
through work because they stay at home, work at small businesses, or 
work part time. But through this bill, every woman can buy coverage 
through the exchange that will cover maternity and preventative care.
  This is why women in America need this health care reform bill and 
why I strongly support this legislation.

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