Women's Insurance Amendment Set For Senate's First Health Bill Vote

As the Senate debates the health reform legislation, amendments are being advanced and Senators are reacting to the bill. Kaiserhealthnews.org reports that, "A bipartisan amendment to increase insurance benefits for women ... gets the first Senate vote Tuesday on health care overhaul legislation." The provision, co-sponsored by Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, "would require policies to include a variety of yearly screenings and was inspired in part by controversial recommendations last month that women undergo fewer mammograms and Pap smears to test for cancer." Mikulski said the amendment does not "mandate that you have a mammogram at age 40. What we say is discuss this with your doctor, but if your doctor says you need one, my amendment says you are going to get one." According to the AP, "The Congressional Budget office said the amendment would cost $940 million over a decade."

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