Senate GOP Healthcare Task Force
July 17, 1998
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Senate Republicans: Enhancing
Women's Healthcare

Peace of Mind for Women

• The Republican Patient Bill of Rights guarantees women direct access to obstetricians and gynecologists and to pediatricians without first having to obtain a referral.
• Only doctors and their patients will determine the length of stay after a mastectomy, lumpectomy or lymph node dissection; and, if a health care plan covers mastectomies, it also must cover breast reconstruction.
• Emergency room access is expanded and protected.
• "Gag clauses" are outlawed, so doctors can discuss all care options with patients.

• The bill guarantees pregnant women cannot be forced to change health plans during their pregnancy or during their postpartum care.

• The Republican plan makes it much easier to get services outside of your HMO.

• The legislation prohibits companies from collecting or using genetic information to deny coverage or set rates.

Focusing on Womens' Health Needs

• The Republican plan promotes basic and clinical research for osteoporosis, breast and ovarian cancer, and aging processes regarding women.
• It expands research efforts into the underlying causes and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women -- the leading cause of death among American women.
• Also, the legislation underwrites data collection through the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Program of Cancer Registries, which are the leading sources of national data on the health status of women in the U.S.
• And it supports the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides for regular screening for breast and cervical cancers to under-served women.

Treatment, Not Trials

• The Patients' Bill of Rights creates new 30-day internal and external review procedures for all employer-sponsored health plans in the country.
• If the health crisis is urgent, the internal review is limited to 3 days. The independent, external review is at no cost to the petitioner, and the decision is binding on the health plan.

Expands Choices In Coverage

• The Republican Patient Bill of Rights guarantees 6 million self-employed women in America equity under the tax code when purchasing health insurance by raising the deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed from 40 percent to 100 percent beginning next year.