Susan Davis: “I rise today to talk about a key difference between the Ganske-Dingell bipartisan patients' bill of rights and the…”

“I rise today to talk about a key difference between the Ganske-Dingell bipartisan patients' bill of rights and the Fletcher alternative: direct access to OB-GYN care. During my tenure in the State assembly, I wrote California's law that gives women direct access to their OB-GYN. This is a simple issue. A woman should not need a permission slip to see her doctor. Women have different medical needs than men. OB-GYNs often have the most appropriate medical education and experience to address a woman's health care needs. Statistics in fact show that if there are too many barriers between a woman and her doctor, she is less likely to get the medical care that she needs. The Ganske-Dingell bipartisan patients' bill of rights will require all health plans to give women direct access to their OB-GYN. The Fletcher alternative on the other hand includes conditions that could increase the time, the expense, and the inconvenience of a necessary doctor's appointment. I urge my colleagues to vote for the real patients' bill of rights, the Ganske-Dingell bill, and give their female constituents access to the health care they deserve.”