Front and Center: Women and the Health Care Debate

Dana Goldstein's post on TAPPED yesterday about the effect of health care reform on women highlighted what many of you may already know: women are in a very unique position when it comes to reform.

Some facts you don't want to miss:

• Even though women are more likely to have health insurance than men, only 38 percent of women get their insurance through their own job.
• Women are twice as likely as men to be dependent on a spouse for health insurance.

So what does this mean for women in a system that ties insurance to employment? Dependent women -- those who count on their spouse for coverage -- could be placed at a serious disadvantage because of the so-called "marriage problem." When their spouses lose coverage (or the plans won't cover dependents), women are left to fend for themselves in a very expensive market.

With health care front and center, this is a powerful reminder that electing progressive women means ensuring women have a voice at the table during one of the country's most critical debates.