The Presidential Candidates' Health Care Proposals: What's at Stake for Women

THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN THIS COUNTRY is weighing heavily on people's minds and taking a toll on our health and our wallets. These worries affect people across the economic spectrum--not just the poor and uninsured, but also middle-class and working families who are at-risk of losing insurance or going deep into medical debt to pay for care their insurance doesn't cover. Women, in particular, are struggling to bear the burden of unaffordable health care. The widespread insecurity about health care has led the presidential candidates to shine a spotlight on health reform. It's critical that we examine Senators McCain and Obama's current reform proposals to consider their potential impact on women's access to comprehensive and affordable health care. This article identifies seven key questions for women and women's health advocates to use to assess health reform plans. It also provides a brief overview of some of the central elements of the candidates' plans and their possible impact on women. Due to space limitations, we could not address those features of the candidates' plans which lacked sufficient detail, and encourage readers to visit the candidates' websites for more information.