Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston
Globe
October 22, 1999, Friday ,City Edition
SECTION: METRO/REGION; Pg. B6
LENGTH: 251 words
HEADLINE:
Effort seeks equality for women's health coverage
BYLINE: By Tara Yaekel, Globe Correspondent
BODY:
Pushing for greater equality
in health care coverage for women, a group of legislators promoted two bills
yesterday that would require insurers to write equitable policies for men and
women and include coverage for birth control and estrogen replacement therapy.
One bill would prohibit insurers from charging women higher premiums
based on statistics showing they live longer than men - a statistic the bill's
key sponsors say is skewed. The second bill would require coverage of
contraceptives and estrogen replacement therapy, a move that
would balance insurers' coverage of the anti-impotence drug Viagra, said Senator
Dianne Wilkerson, a Roxbury Democrat who discussed the bills at a news
conference.
"It's time to close the longstanding gap in
insurance coverage," she said. "Women should be afforded the
same benefits as men without having to suffer a financial penalty."
The
legislation, which is before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, was lauded by
many in the medical community and by abortion rights advocates.
But
abortion opponents criticized birth control coverage, arguing that
contraceptives, like optional treatments such as plastic
surgery, should be treated as elective health care.
"Not every
person needs to go on birth control - that's your choice," said Patricia
Doherty, legislative director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. "There are
plenty of women who would like to get face lifts and call it health care, and
they're not going to be covered."
LOAD-DATE: October
22, 1999 
