Cybersecurity Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I am proud to join my colleagues on the floor today--I thank Senator Boxer and Senator Harkin for their leadership--just as I was proud back in December of 2009 to join Senator Mikulski in sponsoring the women's health amendment to the Affordable Care Act.

We are here today celebrating the fact that tomorrow, August 1, women will have access to important health services at no cost. Senator Boxer showed very clearly what a number of those preventive services are. Thanks to the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that go into effect this week, women will have access to a broad range of preventive services from well woman and prenatal visits to gestational diabetes screening, and they will have access to those services without copayments or deductibles. So finances will no longer stand in the way of women getting the preventive health care they need.

This also has the potential to save our health system money in the long run. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 75 percent of our health care spending is on people with chronic diseases. So by taking these preventive measures, we can slow this growth and the associated cost of disease.

One of those preventive measures I want to talk about this morning is screening for gestational diabetes. As cochair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, I understand the importance of gestational diabetes screening and the impact it can have on both the mother and the baby. Gestational diabetes affects almost 18 percent of all pregnancies in the United States. Unfortunately, the number of those cases is increasing. The consequences of gestational diabetes are real. Not only are there significant health effects for the mother and baby during pregnancy, but researchers have found that both the mother and baby may be at risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. By getting screened, both the mother and child can be alerted to potential long-term health risks.

I want to tell the story of one of my constituents, Megan from Panacook, NH, because she is a great example of why this screening is so important. During her 28th week of pregnancy, Megan was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The screening she had alerted her to the potential related health issues and they allowed her to get the necessary treatment. I am happy to report that Megan gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Grace. She is now 8 weeks old. Under the Affordable Care Act, all pregnant women will now be able to receive the gestational diabetes screening for free.

Tomorrow also marks an important milestone in women's health for another preventive service. Women, beginning tomorrow, will have access to contraception at no cost. Birth control is something that most women use, and it is something the medical community believes is essential to the health of a woman and her family. For some 1.5 million women, birth control pills are not used for contraception but for medical purposes. They can reduce the risk of some cancers. With costs as high as $600 a year, birth control can be a serious economic concern for many women. Being able to now receive birth control for no cost will bring financial relief to so many of those women.

Again, I have a story of a young woman from New Hampshire who I think illustrates so clearly why these are such important provisions. Keri Wolfe from Swanzey, NH, is a full-time graduate student at Dartmouth. She is going to benefit from this provision because Keri takes birth control as a medical necessity for treating a health issue that affects her adrenal gland. While Keri is lucky to have insurance, she has to pay her plan's full deductible and then a monthly copay for her birth control. As a student who is trying to balance academic and living expenses, her prescriptions come at a significant cost annually. When her new insurance plan goes into effect, Keri is going to be able to get the full price of her birth control covered. That is great news in making sure she gets the health care she needs.

As Governor of New Hampshire, I was proud to sign legislation that required insurance companies to provide contraceptive coverage to women with no religious exemption. At that time it was understood by people on both sides of the aisle of all religious faiths that requiring contraceptive coverage was about women's health, and it was a basic health care decision. Yet over the last several months, opponents have continued to roll back contraceptive coverage at both the State and Federal level. Every woman should be able to make her own health care decisions. She should not have to have her boss stand in the way. The provisions that go into effect tomorrow ensure that women can make these decisions.

I thank Senator Mikulski and Senator Harkin for their leadership on women's health. I join them in celebrating these important provisions that are going to make a huge difference for women's health, that are going to be good for women, for families, and for everyone in this country.

I yield the floor.

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