What Women Voters Need In 2008

What do women voters need in 2008? I say it is economic security and affordable health care, and not the rotten health insurance system plaguing the U.S.

Women make less money than men. "It is widely known that women, on average, receive less pay than men do," (Gasser, Oliver and Tan 1998; Davidson and Cooper 1992); the typical wage for a woman in the U.S. is 77 percent of that for a man.

Leaving aside why women are paid less, let's recognize that people with less money have to do more for themselves and the people for whom they care. They cannot hire others to do it all. This is true for single women, students, working women, mothers, housewives on limited budgets in today's hard economic times, women of older age (outliving men, so there are more of them), and soccer moms. Women must multi-task and be efficient.

What do women without sufficient funds give up? The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that more than a quarter of U.S. women delayed or went without health care because they couldn't afford it. (BMJ July 16 2007). With lower levels of education, lower prospects in employment, health care tied to jobs, and "navigating an increasingly complex health care system," (Ibid), it's no secret that health care greatly impacts women. My three years and 650 trips talking to Texas voters between 2004 and 2006 and continued discussions in the last year lead to a conclusion consistent with the economic data: women have economic concerns, and care deeply about health care, both for themselves and for their families.

With an aging baby boomer populace, the lack of coverage for elder care and nursing, and the greater lifespan of women than men, health care concerns will only increase.

With a crisis in health care coverage, which particularly affects Texas as it has the highest rate of uninsured children in the nation (CPPP State of Texas Children 2007), Texas women have reason for concern.

As poverty increases in Texas (ibid) and working and middle class people become increasingly affected by economic and health care problems and inadequacies, the voters, particularly women voters, should be more receptive to solutions in health care and economic well being. Will they vote? Yes, if permitted and motivated. All levels of vote activity are required, including legal protections and the ongoing fights against intimidation and suppression of voters, especially affecting the categories of affected Texans.

Current officeholders appear bent on keeping their jobs, suppressing registration and turnout and preventing redistricting which could lead to a restoration of a two party system to Texas statewide and bolster the number of voices in Congress who are willing to stand up for true health care and economic reform. We must remove cost barriers to voting in economically vulnerable areas. Difficult systems of voter identification and requalification, like the poll tax, represent an ongoing threat, as the U.S. Supreme Court is well-aware.

Candidates and activists can do their part by recognizing the falsity of health care "reform" proposals, such as using health savings accounts, to achieving reasonably priced, accessible health care. The solution lies not in forcing people to pay whatever insurance premiums and prices are foisted on them. The solution lies in reasonable insurance regulation and removing the tremendous burden on business and employees of the antiquated employer-based health insurance system. No one except the insurance company can be healthy in the current system.

In sum: women voters have plenty of issues and burdens to multi-task. Health care, its cost, and economic security will be top of the list in 2008.