Karan English: “I rise to emphasize how universal health care coverage can have a real impact of the lives of millions of women. Women…”

“I rise to emphasize how universal health care coverage can have a real impact of the lives of millions of women. Women now pay 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health costs than men. These high medical costs directly affect the health of low-income, and (un)insured women who can't even afford routine exams. An (un)insured woman with breast cancer is 50 percent more likely to die from the disease. In Arizona, 2,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. One-fifth of those women die. But early detection can decrease the mortality rate by more than 30 percent. My colleagues and I on the Education and Labor Committee are succeeding in improving health coverage for women--yet we are humbled by the long battle ahead of us. In Chairman Williams' mark, we have made mammograms, pap smears, and other preventive services affordable for all women. Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleagues, we need to show leadership and persistence in achieving universal health care coverage for all Americans.”