Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, today I rise to speak of the need to protect the health care of American women.

Last week, I hosted a women's conference focused on the benefit of the Affordable Care Act for women. The historic health care reform is a step in the right direction for the health of mothers, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters.

Thanks to affordable health care, women can no longer be dropped from insurance coverage when they get sick or become pregnant. Twenty million women have already used free preventive services offered through health care reform, including mammograms and colonoscopies.

Beginning in 2014, women will no longer be denied coverage for having a preexisting condition. The health care law finally ends gender rating, in which women are forced to pay higher premiums than men for the same coverage.

American women are the foundation of our families. We must protect the benefit of health care reform and ensure that all women have better access to health care.