2013
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February 2013: The Connors Center, Kaiser Family Foundation and Jacobs Institute for Women's Health at George Washington University Release "Ensuring the Health Care Needs of Women: A Checklist for Health Exchanges"
In February 2013, The Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at The George Washington University released a joint report entitled Ensuring the Health Care Needs of Women: A Checklist for Health Exchanges. This checklist is based on lessons learned from Massachusetts' experience with health reform, and offers women's health lessons for states as they establish their health insurance exchanges. Key lessons include the essential health benefits, implementation of no-cost preventive services including contraception, provider networks and affordability, outreach and enrollment efforts, and the importance of including gender and other demographic characteristics in data collection and reporting standards. The checklist was featured in an op-ed entitled A Checklist for Women's Health Month the Huffington Post.
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January 2013: Dr. Paula Johnson Featured in Boston Globe and on NBC to Discuss Importance of Roe v. Wade to Women's Health
Boston Globe Article: "Roe v. Wade 40 years later: Advances in women’s reproductive health"
NBC Interview: "Roe v. Wade: The health impact"
In January 2013, Dr. Paula Johnson was featured in a Boston Globe article and an NBC segment to explain the impact that the Roe v. Wade decision has had on women's health. In her January 22, 2013 NBC interview, Dr. Johnson noted that the Roe decision made it possible for doctors to legally speak with women about pregnancy termination. "Thinking about the person's own health in this case, a woman's health, is very important," says Dr. Paula Johnson of Brigham and Women's Hospital. "It really gets the decision where it belongs."
On a January 18, 2012 Boston Globe article examining the 40th anniversary of the key women's health decision, Dr. Johnson spoke about abortion access in Massachusetts noting that, “We’ve been fortunate in the state of Massachusetts with policies supporting the availability and accessibility of abortion,” said Dr. Paula Johnson, chief of the Division of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Our state health law is not restrictive and doesn’t limit coverage or payment for abortion services.”
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January 2013: Dr. Paula Johnson Keynote at State House Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Event
On January 14, 2013, Dr. Paula Johnson addressed a room of over 210 women’s health advocates as the featured keynote speaker for the Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Event held at the Massachusetts State House. The event commemorated the 40th year of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Dr. Johnson noted advances that have been made in women’s health and equality, and also pointed to significant barriers and opposition that continue to persist, including the provision that exempts religious organizations from being required to provide women with access to no-cost contraception under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Dr. Johnson highlighed the anniversary as “a time to celebrate and to renew our commitment to women’s health and reproductive choice.” A Press Release for this event can be accessed HERE.
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January 2013: Dr. Paula Johnson Publishes Op-Ed on Women's Health in the Huffington Post
Op-ed available HERE
On January 3, 2013, Dr. Paula Johnson, Executive Director of the Connors Center, published an op-ed calling leaders in Congress to prioritize women's health in the New Year. Noting the historic number of women Senators, and the overwhelming support among voters for prioritizing women's health, Dr. Johnson calls on Congress to ensure that women's health research is adequately funded, and that important data on health reform is stratified and reported by sex.
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2012
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August 2012: ACA No-Cost Women's Preventive Health Services Become Effective August 1, 2012
Dr. Johnson's appearance on CBS can be viewed HERE
Dr. Johnson's interview with the Boston Globe can be read HERE
Dr. Johnson's guest post on the Commonhealth Blog can be read HERE
Dr. Johnson quoted on the Commonhealth Blog can be read HERE
Dr. Johnson's interview on Fox 25 Boston can be viewed HERE
You can listen to Dr. Johnson's commentary on WBUR Radio Boston HERE
On August 1, 2012, the Affordable Care Act's no-cost preventive services for women became effective. Dr. Paula Johnson, a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee responsible for recommending the 8 women health preventive services, talked with a number of news outlets about why these services are so important for women's health. These services include:
- Well woman visits
- Screenings for gestational diabetes
- HPV DNA testing
- Counseling for sexually transmitted infections
- Counseling and screening for HIV
- Breast feeding support supplies and counseling
- Screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence
- Contraceptive methods and counseling
You can access the original IOM report HERE and the final HRSA recommendations HERE.
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July 2012: Educating Women about the Health Care Law: What Does the Affordable Care Act Mean for Women and Their Families?
From L To R: Therese Fitzgerald, Christie Hagar, Dr. Paula Johnson, Kate Bicego, Edith Kenneally and Nyjah Wyche
To access Dr. Johnson's presentation, please click HERE
To access Christie Hagar's presentation on the Affordable Care Act and women's health, please click HERE
To access Kate Bicego's presentation on health insurance options in Massachusetts, please click HERE
On July 9, 2012, the Women's Health Policy and Advocacy Program hosted an event at Brigham and Women's Hospital entitled, "Educating Women about the Health Care Law: What Does the Affordable Care Act Mean for Women and Their Families?" attended by more than 70 participants. Dr. Paula Johnson, MD, MPH began the event by explaining why women's wellness and preventive services are so integral to overall health. Next, Christie Hagar, JD, the Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region I (New England) explained how the Affordable Care Act benefits women and their families. Kate Bicego, Consumer Education & Enrollment Manager at Health Care for All, explained the various insurance options available to women in Massachusetts, and how the federal law will enhance coverage. Finally, Edith Kenneally, from Registration at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, provided details about the hospital's financial assistance services.
All participants were provided with a binder of federal and state resources. If you would like to access these materials, please click HERE.
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June 2012: Dr. Paula Johnson Responds to Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act
Dr. Johnson quoted in the Huffington Post available HERE
Dr. Johnson's Interview with WGBH Greater Boston is available HERE
Dr. Johnson's Interview with My Fox Boston is available HERE
Dr. Johnson's statement at the Massachusetts State House Press Conference is available HERE
Dr. Johnson's press statement is available on the COMMONHEALTH BLOG and the BOSTON GLOBE
Dr. Johnson's Statement to the Press:
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a significant step forward for the health and equality of our nation’s women and their families. This ruling assures that women will have access to all those provisions of the Affordable Care Act that speak directly to their lives. Women will now be secure in knowing that they will be able to find insurance despite having a preexisting condition. They now know that they will have coverage for prevention services like mammograms and birth control at no additional cost. And now women know once and for all, that they cannot be charged more than men for the same insurance or lose their coverage when they get sick.
As a member of the Institute of Medicine’s panel that recommended the preventive services that are central to women’s health, I am particularly pleased that women’s access to essential no-cost preventive services including mammograms and screenings for cervical cancer are secure and will go into effect as planned on August 1. Expanding preventive care for women allows doctors to detect illnesses early before they get more expensive to treat resulting in a huge cost savings four our country. Given that chronic illness among women costs our nation’s health care system over $460 billion each year, these cost savings will be substantial. From allowing young women access to health insurance through their parents’ plans to assisting older women with prescription drug affordability by closing the Medicare “donut hole”, the ACA is historic in its ability to provide women with access to comprehensive health care across the lifespan.
Today is a day to celebrate but it is also a call to action for our states. As national health reform implementation moves forward, states will likely encounter many of the same women’s health challenges experienced in Massachusetts, the model for national reform. Massachusetts women have the highest rates of health insurance coverage in the nation and access to care among women has improved across all demographic groups. Challenges persist. But today is the day we get the green light to move forward, meet these challenges and implement a robust system of care that works for women who are 51 percent of the U.S. population.”
Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH
Executive Director, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology
Chief, Division of Women's Health
Brigham and Women's Hospital
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June 2012: Therese Fitzgerald, PhD Featured in Politico Article: "More people could be 'churning' under ACA"
The Politico Article can be accessed HERE
On June 26, 2012, Therese Fitzgerald, the Director of the Women's Health Policy and Advocacy Program, lent her expertise in women's insurance coverage to a Politico article examining the problem of insurance coverage churn. Dr. Fitzgerald noted that "[churn] is a particular problem for women and kids who “tend to be disproportionately impacted because of certain life events."" Dr. Fitzgerald further noted that "to ease the churning problem, states could try steps like ensuring a 12-month period of continuous Medicaid enrollment and making applying for insurance easier with online tools and simple forms. Some states may also opt for a “basic health plan” under the health law, which would cover people under 200 percent of poverty, easing that cliff between Medicaid and the exchanges and providing more consistent coverage."
More information on the issue of churn and women's insurance coverage can be found in our ACA Chartpack available HERE
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March 2012: Dr. Paula Johnson Celebrates International Women's Day with Presentation at the Harvard Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program
Dr. Johnson's Presentation available HERE
Synopsis of presentation from The Women and Public Policy Program available HERE
On March 8, 2012, Dr. Paula Johnson delivered a presentation entitled "Women's Health and Health System Reform: The Route to Transformational Development" at the Harvard Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program. Dr. Johnson was invited to present before the Program in honor of International Women's Day. To improve women's health globally, Dr. Johnson discussed the need to view women's health needs from a variety of lens: women and mothers, women and individuals, women as family members and women and citizens. Dr. Johnson also notes that improving women's health can alter the economic and social demographics of a society. The presentation concludes with several model countries that experienced social and economic improvements after undertaking efforts to improve gender equity in health and health care systems.
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February 2012: Dr. Paula Johnson Addresses the Massachusetts Caucus of Women's Legislators at the State House
Slides from Dr. Johnson's presentation are available HERE
On Wednesday February 29, 2012, Dr. Paula Johnson met with members of the State legislature and their staff to discuss the impact of Massachusetts health reform on women’s health. Dr. Johnson outlined key successes for women and highlighted remaining opportunities to improve women’s health through the law including preventive health services, affordability and the need for additional data on the impact of reform on women. The briefing was hosted by State Senator Karen Spilka, State Representative Cory Atkins and the Caucus of Women’s Legislators, and was attended by over 30 members and their staff.
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February 2012: Dr. Paula Johnson:
Why A Religious Exemption For Contraception Is Bad Medicine
Image Courtesy CommonHealth Blog
Blog post available HERE
On February 21, 2012, Dr. Paula Johnson responded to recent controversy surrounding the Affordable Care Act's contraception coverage mandate and the Blunt Amendment. Dr. Johnson discussed the following issues:
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No-cost contraception is good medicine for maternal and child health
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Contraception is a tool to combat rising health care costs
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Access to no-cost contraception will help alleviate societal impacts of unplanned pregnancy
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2011
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December 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson Addresses HHS Plan B Decision on Fox 25 Boston and NECN
Please click HERE (Fox 25) and HERE (NECN) to watch Dr. Paula Johnson discuss the Department of Health and Human Services' decision to block the sale of Plan B to anyone without a prescription.
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December 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson Discusses the Risks of E-cigarettes with the Boston Globe
Blog article available HERE
On December 5, 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson weighed in on the potential risks of E-cigarettes and the need for more research on the efficacy of these devices in helping individuals stop smoking.
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November 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson Recognized in Bill Brett's "Boston, Inspirational Women" Book
Boston Globe Article HERE
Boston Globe Slideshow HERE
In November 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson and Brigham and Women's Hospital President Dr. Elizabeth Nabel were recognized by Boston Globe photographer Bill Brett as two of Boston's Inspirational Women in Health Care. You can view Dr. Johnson and Dr. Nabel's portraits on the Pike located in Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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November 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson Talks to the Boston Globe about Women's Health and the Affordable Care Act
Interview available HERE
On November 11, 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson sat down with the Boston Globe's Chelsea Conaboy to discuss the ongoing work of the Women's Health Policy and Advocacy Program to disseminate lessons learned from Massachusetts health reform and women's health to national policymakers. Dr. Johnson described the briefings she led before staffers of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and summarized key opportunities to improve women's health through implementation of the Affordable Care Act:
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Improve continuity of coverage
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Make care more affordable
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Focus on access to primary care
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Improve access to long-term care
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Improve health equity
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Track the effects for women
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November 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson and Dr. Robert Haddad:
"Head And Neck Cancer: Why Both Sexes Need The HPV Vaccine"
Image Courtesy CommonHealth Blog
Blog post available HERE
On November 3, 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson and Dr. Robert Haddad, Chief of Head and Neck Oncology at Dana Farber/ Brigham and Women's Cancer Center publish a guest post on the CommonHealth Blog to respond to controversy surrounding the HPV vaccine. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Haddad discussed the significant increase of head and neck cancers among men and women caused due to the HPV virus, and advocate for increased access and adherence to the HPV vaccine across gender lines. Please click HERE to view their post.
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October 2011: Women and Health Reform Congressional Briefings
Chartpack available HERE
In October 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson delivered briefings to staffers from the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate on the impact of health reform on women in Massachusetts and how those lessons will impact implementation of national health reform. Dr. Johnson outline 6 key National Health Reform Opportunities for Women's Health:
This tool outlines the challenges and opportunities Massachusetts women faced after implementation of state health reform and provides legislative and regulatory policy recommendations.
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July 2011: IOM Women's Preventive Health Services Guidelines
Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps
Dr. Paula Johnson in the press: Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, CommonHealth Blog
On July 19, 2011, Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) was published. The report was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify gaps in the department's list of preventive health services already covered for women. Our own Dr. Paula Johnson, chief of the Division of Women’s Health and executive director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology served on the Committee on Preventive Services for Women responsible for developing the recommendations. The committee identified diseases and conditions that are more common or more serious in women than in men or for which women experience different outcomes or benefit from different interventions.
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June 2011: Dr. Paula Johnson, Tracey Hyams and Professor Lotte Bailyn Defend Part-Time Female Doctors in CommonHealth Blog Commentary
Image Courtesy CommonHealth Blog
Blog Post Available HERE
Dr. Karen Sibert's Op-Ed available HERE
On June 13, 2011, Dr. Paula Johnson, Tracey Hyams and Professor Lotte Bailyn (MIT) responded to a New York Times Op-Ed written by Dr. Karen S. Sibert in which Dr. Sibert argues that women physicians have a duty to work as full-time physicians. The group desconstructs Dr. Sibert's arguments and explain that the health care problems facing this country do not, as Dr. Sibert argues, reset soley on the shoulders of women physicians who choose to work part-time.
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2010
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December 2010: Dr. Paula Johnson, Dr. Alice Tolbert Coombs and Dr. Joseph Betancourt Discuss Health Issues Facing Women and Minorities with the Boston Globe
Boston Globe Article and Video available HERE
From the Globe: "It’s one of the biggest problems facing the US health care system: Women and minorities are treated differently than white men. There are wide disparities in everything from nutrition to insurance to testing to treatment. The Globe recently asked local doctors about the health issues facing women and minorities and what can be done to narrow the health care gap. Participants in the discussion included Dr. Paula Johnson, chief of the division of women’s health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston; Dr. Alice Tolbert Coombs, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society; and Dr. Joseph Betancourt, director of multicultural education at Massachusetts General Hospital."
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November 2010: WHPAP Presents at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting in Denver, CO
APHA Slideshow can be accessed here
A description of the session can be found here
On November 9, 2010, Tracey Hyams, presented findings from the program's June 2010 report, Massachusetts Health Reform: Impact on Women's Health, to participants at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting. Ms. Hyams' presentation was part of a session focused on health care reform at the state and national level with a particular emphasis on Massachusetts Health Reform and its impact on women's health.
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June 2010: WHPAP Featured on National Women's Law Center's monthly Reform Matters Conference Call
Slides from the presentation can be accessed here
Agenda for the call can be accessed HERE
On June 8, 2010, the National Women's Law Center invited Tracey Hyams and Laura Cohen to present findings from the Program's recent issue brief, Massachusetts Health Reform: Impact on Women's Health, and draw lessons for national reform on it's monthly "Reform Matters" conference call. Tracey and Laura explained the sucesses of Massachusetts health reform, pointed out female-specific issues resulting from reform, such as transitions in care among low-income women, high out-of-pocket costs for women on Commonwealth Choice plans and access to contraceptives among women on young adult-targeted health plans and explained how Massachusetts' experience can inform national reform.
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June 2010: Massachusetts Health Reform: Impact on Women's Health
The Women's Health Policy and Advocacy Progam's Issue Brief can be found HERE
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Issue Brief can be found HERE
On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, the Women’s Health Policy and Advocacy program hosted a half-day conference on Massachusetts Health Reform: Impact on Women’s Health. This event, presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachuestts Foundation and the Suffolk University Center for Women's Health and Human Rights. This forum outlined the role of women’s health in health care reform, discussed the impact of health care reform on women in Massachusetts, and drew lessons for ongoing efforts in Massachusetts and the U.S. Alina Salganicoff from the Kaiser Family Foundation will provide an overview of health care reform as it relates to women, followed by two panel discussions. The first panel presented data and research on the impact of Massachusetts health reform on women’s health and health care delivery in the state. Presenters discussed key findings and identifed remaining challenges and opportunities. Panelists include Sharon Long from Urban Institute; Kelly Blanchard from Ibis Reproductive Health; and Susan Sered from Suffolk University. The second panel was a roundtable discussion of implications for future health reform in Massachusetts. U.S. Panelists include Ruth Katz, Senior Health Counsel for the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives; Nancy Turnbull from Harvard School of Public Health; and senior state officials.
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April 2010: New Report on Women and Lung Cancer
The Women and Lung Cancer Report is available here
On April 26, 2010, the Women’s Health Policy and Advocacy Program published the first-ever comprehensive report on women and lung cancer intended for non-medical audiences. The report has been called "a groundbreaking call to action" by a coalition of women's health and social justice organizations, including the Lung Cancer Alliance. "Out of the Shadows: Women and Lung Cancer" summarizes research on sex and gender differences in lung cancer risk, treatment and survival; highlights gaps in current knowledge; and makes public policy recommendations to decrease the burden of the disease in women and men. It is intended as a tool for policymakers, researchers, clinicians, patients and advocates. In conjunction with the Lung Cancer Alliance, the report will form the basis of a national communications and policy strategy aimed at raising awareness of lung cancer in women, reducing the stigma of the disease, reversing funding disparities, and promoting passage of the federal Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act (S.332, H.2112).
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2009
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December 2009: Paula JohnsonFeatured Speaker at the Harvard School of Public Health Division of Public Health Practice’s Leadership Series
On December 18, 2009, Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology and Chief of the Division of Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital was featured as a speaker for the Division of Public Health Practice’s Leadership Series at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Johnson’s presentation, Building the Bridge between Public Health Practice and the Practice of Medicine: The Path to a Healthier Population, discussed the impact of public health leadership on disease prevention and policy and how public health impacted Massachusetts tobacco reform. Dr. Johnson also addressed the relationship between individual patient care and the health of their communities.
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December 2009: Paula Johnson Featured Speaker on Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Health Disparities Webcast
A link to the webcast can be found here
On December 16, 2009, Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology and Chief of the Division of Women's Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital was featured as a speaker for Kaiser Family Foundation’s webcast, Topics in Health Disparities: What Might Health Reform Mean for Women of Color? Dr. Johnson was joined by Alina Salganicoff, Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy and the Kaiser Foundation and Judy Waxman, Vice President of Health and Reproductive Rights at the National Women’s Law Center. The group addressed how health reform would impact women of color, disparities in disease morbidity and screening, physician workforce shortages and the ability of women of color to pay for care.
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June 2009: Impact of Massachusetts and National Health Reform Efforts on Women’s Health
In June 2009, Tracey Hyams discussed the impact of Massachusetts and federal health reform on women’s health at a meeting of AcademyHealth’s Gender and Health Interest Group in Chicago. Her presentation outlined the gains for women under Massachusetts’ landmark universal coverage expansion and identified remaining challenges. Her remarks concluded with a comparison of the health care landscape and political climate in Massachusetts and nationally.
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May 2009: Connors Center Promotes Support of the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act
Joining lung cancer advocates from throughout the U.S., Tracey Hyams spent May 5, 2009 meeting with legislators on Capitol Hill to promote sponsorship of the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act (S. 332; H.R. 2112), the first-ever federal legislation declaring lung cancer a national public health priority. The bill would authorize a coordinated multi-agency research program specific to lung cancer, involving the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, and represents the first federal legislation calling for a comprehensive research strategy addressing the whole spectrum of the disease from prevention and diagnosis through treatment.
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2008
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October 2008: Connors Center Sponsors Forum at Harvard's Kennedy School on Women's Health and the Election
Dr. Salganicoff’s slides from the event are available here.
In collaboration with the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the Connors Center presented Women's Health: McCain vs. Obama on Thursday, October 23 at the Institute of Politics/JFK Jr. Forum. The event, moderated by Sheila Burke of the Kennedy School faculty, was a rare opportunity for the campaigns to address how their very different plans for reforming the U.S. health system would affect women's health and health care. Speakers included Gail Wilensky, Senior Health Advisor to the McCain campaign; David Blumenthal, Senior Health Advisor to the Obama campaign; Alina Salganicoff, Vice President - Women's Health at the Kaiser Family Foundation; and Dr. Paula Johnson of the Connors Center.
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October 2008: Health Reform Guide Helps Women Understand the Candidate's Proposal
The guide can be downloaded here
In October 2008, the Connors Center published Health Care Reform and the 2008 Election - A Guide for Women, a non-partisan, consumer-friendly guide to Senator John McCain's and Senator Barack Obama's health care proposals that helped women to understand what each candidate’s plan meant for them. Through the stories of seven "fictional women" - Lily, Alisa, Meghan, Sondra, Romi, Lenora and Margaret - each with a different set of health problems and insurance coverage, readers found similarities with their own family’s health care choices and needs.
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March 2008: Dr. Francine Jacobson Testifies in Support of Lung Cancer Bill
On March 12, 2008, BWH thoracic radiologist Francine Jacobson, MD, MPH testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Revenue is support of Senate Bill 2454, An Act Establishing the Commonwealth Lung Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Research Fund. Sponsored by Senator Susan Fargo, the bill would establish a use of a percentage of the cigarette tax to create a trust fund supporting research grants for early detection and treatment of lung cancer. Also testifying were patients, survivors, and advocates including the Lung Cancer Alliance. Dr. Jacobson testified on current research regarding appropriate screening for lung cancer, the need to better identify tobacco exposure risk, and the possibility of conducting a pilot program at the Connors Center.
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