Urge Adoption of Institute of Medicine's new recommendations on women's preventive health (IOM) recommendations would expand the preventive health care screenings and care available to women with no additional copayments or deductibles.
PoliticalNews.me - Jul 25,2011 - Senators urge Secretary Sebelius to swiftly adopt Institute of Medicine's new recommendations on women's preventive health
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka joined 28 Senate Colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to swiftly adopt new Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations that would expand the preventive health care screenings and care available to women with no additional copayments or deductibles.
The letter was authored by Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) and signed by Senators Akaka, Al Franken (D-Minn.), Tom Harkin (D-Ia.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), John Kerry (D-Mass), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif), Mark Udall (D-Colo), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
"We write today to affirm our strong support for the recommendations made by the IOM. Further, we urge you to accept these recommendations in a timely manner in order to ensure our nation's women are able to access these life-saving health care screenings and services as quickly as possible," the Senators said in their letter.
If the IOM recommendations are adopted by HHS, women would be covered for an annual women's health exam. Health plans would also be required to cover comprehensive women's preventive care and screenings - such as gestational diabetes screenings, counseling/testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, breastfeeding support and services, and birth control - with no copayments.
"Access to preventive health care is essential for improving the health of our nation and bringing our health care costs back under control. If fully adopted, the IOM's recommendations will not only improve the availability and accessibility of women's health services, but they will also represent an important step toward a healthier and more fiscally responsible future," the Senators concluded.
To view the IOM report, Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps, go to:
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps.aspx
