Lois Capps: “I rise today to urge swift action on a measure to improve women's access to health care. As many of my colleagues are…”

“I rise today to urge swift action on a measure to improve women's access to health care. As many of my colleagues are aware, there is a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act which has unfortunately created a situation whereby student health centers and clinics that serve low-income women can no longer access contraceptives at a deeply discounted rate. Just this week, I was proud to cosponsor a bill introduced by my colleagues Joe Crowley and Jim Ramstad to correct this inadvertent oversight. The effects of this Deficit Reduction Act provision are already being felt by women across the country, including college students who are now forced to pay up to 10 times more for birth control pills than they did before. Unfortunately, there are those who refuse to agree to our proposed correction. So I am standing here today to urge my colleagues to fix this discrepancy that was never intended to exist. Let's stop the attacks on women's health. Let's guarantee women access to needed health services.”