ACOG president opposes federal bill that limits women's health benefits

Michael T. Mennuti, MD, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is speaking out against the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act, or S. 1955. He recently wrote a letter to Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, to express his opposition to the federal bill.

The bill, introduced by Enzi, was drafted with the intent of expanding health coverage for employees of small businesses and the uninsured. However, Mennuti wrote that the bill, as passed by the committee, would undermine the strides made in state legislatures to ensure adequate health-care coverage for women. These gains in women's health that could be hurt by the bill include:

Mennuti noted that S. 1955 in its current form would allow "insurers to offer barebones policies" and small business health plans to "opt out of state benefit, service and provider mandates"-thereby jeopardizing these important women's health benefits.