Obama To Tout Health Reform Benefits for Women, Families Today

On Friday, President Obama will host a White House Mother's Day-themed event to promote certain Affordable Care Act provisions that benefit women and families, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 5/9).

A White House official said several women and their families whose "health, lives and pocketbooks" have already benefited from the provisions have been invited to join Obama at the event (Crabtree, Washington Times, 5/9).

At the event, Obama is expected to discuss some of the key benefits that the ACA provides to women, such as no-cost cancer screenings and contraceptives without additional cost-sharing. Obama is also expected to reiterate his recent call to women to encourage their adult children to sign up for insurance through the state health insurance marketplaces under the ACA (Pace, AP/Sacramento Bee, 5/10).

During a speech at a recent Planned Parenthood event, Obama urged the organization -- a key advocate of the ACA and women's health -- to help with outreach efforts (Radnofsky, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 5/9).

The White House official noted, "Mothers are the number one validator for the young and uninsured and will be critical in the effort to encourage their kids to enroll for insurance in the fall," the official said ("Healthwatch," The Hill, 5/9). "Mothers are still the primary caregivers for kids and for aging parents," the official added.

Other attendees at Friday's event are expected to include representatives of liberal and feminist organizations, according to the Washington Times (Washington Times, 5/9).