Domestic Violence: The Ultimate Pre-existing Condition

I just had to share this article from The Huffington Post. 

The practice being discussed here in this article is allowed to be practiced by insurance companies licensed in the state of North Carolina.  That practice: not covering victims of domestic violence because domestic violence is a "pre-existing condition".

We have all been watching the rancorous debate over whether or not our health care system should be reformed.  I am sure we all have opinions as to what should be done.  I am not going to use this forum to promote my personal ideas.

But one thing I am acutely aware of as a woman, in my reading about women's issues and from my relationship with the WRC in Hickory, is that women and particularly women with small children are at the short end of the stick when it comes to acquiring the benefits of living in a free society.

For example, we know that women generally earn $0.78 to every dollar a man earns.  We know that those women who work are less likely to have health benefits.  And when you add the children into the mix, you see women having less options for what kinds of jobs they can take because their children require that they be at home.   And for those women who are heading a single family household, i.e., they are "it" when it comes to keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table, it gets even more complicated with less options for sustainability.

So when I read an article about health insurance companies, one industry actually making hand over fist profits when people are losing their jobs and having their benefits cut at an alarming rate, determining that women who are victims of domestic abuse have a "pre-existing condition" and will not pay for the treatment of their wounds, I have to ask myself, "Who are these people who don't want health care reform?"  What kind of a country have we become when the mothers of our children not only have to sustain abuse from their partners, but cannot even get basic medical care for the physical injuries sustained from that abuse.

Can anyone explain why we put up with this - why we are even debating whether or not we need health care reform?  It makes me spit bullets....

Posted by Kate Tinnan, WRC volunteer

Kate Michelman in The Nation

I was listening to NPR today and heard an interview with Kate Michelman about an article she wrote for The Nation this month. Its the gut wrenching story of her personal experience with family illness - her husband and daughter - at a time in her life when she should be enjoying the fruits of a long life having worked hard, paid her taxes and saved for her retirement. Instead she faces complete financial loss. Here is an excerpt:

"Our story also illustrates the unique challenges women face in the healthcare system, as in the economy at large. Women are paid less and given benefits less frequently--yet they are the ones on whom the responsibility of caretaking disproportionately falls. In addition, women disproportionately, but hardly exclusively, understand the perverse economic choices the healthcare system imposes. In my case, I had to quit working to care for my husband, only to arrive at a point at which he needs care I can afford only if I can find a job. The bills, meanwhile, are often inexplicable, sometimes contain mistakes and are always impossible to resolve without encountering a thicket of red tape. " Click here to read the full article...

I posted an entry on March 12 on a panel discussion hosted by Legal Momentum about the subject of women and families and how our country's financial situation is disproportionately affecting them. Ms. Michelman's article really brings those issues home to all of us in a most personal way. As in Ms. Michelman's family, more and more families are becoming dependent on women's income, but that income and any benefits it may bring with it rarely cover the day to day living expenses of their families.

I relate to her situation on a personal level. I, too, have experienced the life changing effects of serious illness. My husband had an aneurysm rupture 10 years ago. He survived and recovered better than anyone could have dreamed. But it changed our lives forever, in so many ways, financially being one of them. I know some of the stress Ms. Michelman is experiencing and the bewilderment at a government and society that sees this happening to so many hard working citizens, and seems to be at a loss to do anything about it.

Health insurance is NOT healthcare. If there is anything that we can glean from Ms. Michelman's article, it is that. I don't know if the solution is universal healthcare but it is obviously not a system of health insurance that pays for only a fraction of what healthcare costs.

I know, as does Ms. Michelman, that what is happening to her is happening to many people across America. I hope those of you that read this and read her article in The Nation will share your stories with us. The web letters following her article are also worthy of attention. Several healthcare providers share their experiences and conclusions.

Together I believe we can exert enough pressure on our legislators and our President to really tackle this problem so that no one has to face financial ruin later in life because of one health crisis - at that rate, each of us is just one crisis away from devastating loss.

Posted by Kate Tinnan, WRC Volunteer

What Issues are Important to NC Women?

North Carolina Women United, a statewide advocacy group, hold meetings around the state every other year to ask local women what concerns and issues are on their mind and how our state legislature can help. The release below showcases the results of the 2008 discussions.

2008 NCWU AGENDA ASSEMBLIES COMPLETE AN HISTORIC YEAR

2008 marked the 20th anniversary of the local Women's Agenda Assemblies across the state of North Carolina. Since 1988, members of the public have been meeting once every other year to discuss and prioritize social and political issues of importance to women and their families.

Last year, between August and December, eight agenda assemblies took place across the state, comprised of a total of 388 women, in the following counties: Buncombe, Alamance, Guilford, Orange, Mecklenburg, Cumberland, Wake, and Pitt.

Although every category received significant support, the total of the counties' assembly votes prioritized the four general categories of importance in the Draft Agenda for 2008-2009 as follows:

1st - Health Care
2nd - Economic Self-sufficiency
3rd - Civic Participation
4th - Violence Against Women

Many thanks go to the women and men who donated their time and effort to see that the 2008 assemblies were a success: NCWU Agenda Assembly Committee members (Anne Mackie, Polly Williams, Becky Mock and June Kimmel) Authors of the 2008-2009 Draft Agenda, and Anne Mackie for her special introductory section Authors of the assembly handouts from Planned Parenthood, Democracy Now, and the NC Justice Center NC Council for Women Regional Representatives Local Women's Agenda Assembly Leadership, Organizers, and Donors Elena Everett and Independent Voices for the DVD production of the Agenda Assemblies AND MOST OF ALL - a special thank you to all of the 388 assembly participants from across North Carolina!!!

For more information, please contact: Jenny Brobst, NCWU 2008 Statewide Agenda Assembly Coordinator, jbrobst@nccu.edu (representative from the NC Association of Women Attorneys to NCWU). Post was written by Jenny Brobst.