Affordable Care Act: Women Can Play Critical Role in Saving, Maintaining It

'Key Strategic Findings from Years of Polling on Healthcare' was the title of long-time progressive pollster John Marttila's presentation in the spring of 2011 at a briefing sponsored by the National Council of Women's Organizations and the Jacobs' Institute of Women's Health.

More than 50 women at the event in Washington, DC.heard Marttila share his polling results and provide strategic suggestions - based on his findings - underscoring the critical role women can play in saving the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and in maintaining progressive legislative gains.

Mattila's core message was that "while Americans don't know much about details about health policy, they feel very strongly about the care that they and their family receive. And they bring to this consideration strongly held core beliefs and values...."

His primary recommendation, based on this, was that "public strategies promoting health care reform and ACA must be built on a platform of American values on health care." He believes that proponents have not used these "values assets" to their maximum effect, but he also believes that it's not too late...Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

Making the Grade on Women's Health: View National Women's Law Center Webinar Recording and Slides

The webinar was the fifth in a series assessing the overall health of women at the national and state levels. The Report Card is designed to promite the health and well-being of women in the United States by providing a comprehensive assessment of women's health, both nationally and state-by-state. You can access the webinar and slides here. The report gives the U.S. an overall rating of "unsatisfactory" and failing grades on many specific public health goals, such as improving cervical cancer screenings.

NCWO Preterm Birth Hill Briefing Provides Lots of Valuable Information

The numbers are staggering, but most people have no idea that:

o Premature birth is the #1 killer of newborns and a significant contributor to long term disabilities for those babies who survive.
o One in eight births in this country are preterm. These babies account for nearly half the total annual hospital costs for newborn care despite representing only 12 percent of the total births.
o The US scored a "D" from the March Of Dimes for its rates of premature births.

Most people also don't know that "preterm birth" is any birth that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy. A normal pregnancy should last about 40 weeks.

Also, did you know that "A baby's brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 40 weeks?

The Nov. 30 briefing, featured a panel of experts from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; the March of Dimes; and a preterm labor bedrest graduate and founder of the consumer education and support website, KeepEmCookin.com.

The March of Dimes' website section on the issue notes:

· Preterm labor and delivery can happen to any pregnant woman.
· Women can take steps to reduce the risk of preterm labor.
· Know the signs of preterm labor and what to do about them.

Excellent sites for more information include:

o The March of Dimes
o Keep ‘Em Cookin

Excellent Websites to Help Navigate the New Health Law

Now that we have entered the implementation phase of the new law, there are a number of exellent sites to help make sure we know what we are entitled to and how to access what we are entitled to. Check out the lead article in the "Advocacy" section of this website.

Advancing Women's Health: Check out the Site

Advancing Women's Health is an interactive digital library for sex and gender-specific women's health education resources. It's a project of the Women's Health Working Group, which two NCWO affiliates are part of, the American Medical Women's Association and the American College of Women's Health Physicians.

Women:  Stay Healthy at Any Age

The Agencey for Health Research & Quality (HHS) has an updated brochure, Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age, which is available on line to download and print. It provides information on screening tests, whether you need medicine to prevent disease and simple steps to take for good health. It's easy to download, copy and distribute.

Many NCWO Affiliates Have Health Programs

Many NCWO affiliates have programs that focus on women’s health. The goal of this website is to provide easy access to those that feature information on issues related to women’s preventive health. While we continue to construct our website, we invite you to explore the vast amount of information our affiliates provide related to women’s health.