I have always been lucky to have good health insurance. As a teen I was covered by my father’s generous company plan. As a young professional I have been covered by my employer’s plan. I have never had to worry about being “dropped” as I have never had any major medical issues. While health insurance reform has been debated in congress, at first I thought that it wouldn’t affect me. But the debate has brought to my attention how I, as a woman in good health, could one day be dropped from coverage for seeking routine care.

For example, it is legal for an insurance company to drop a woman for having a C-section. With C-Section rates increasing, this will continue to affect a growing number of otherwise-healthy mothers. In addition, a woman can be dropped from coverage for seeking routine preventative care after a sexual assault. A woman can even lose her insurance if her dependent child is chronically ill. I was shocked to learn this. Any of these scenarios could happen to me or my friends!

Typically my reaction to learning about potential problems like this would be to try to prevent any problems. I would research insurance providers and look for ones with fewer clauses, or talk to my doctor about reducing my risk. But I don’t think that there is any real way to prevent these situations. It seems impossible to imagine every possible health event and compare policies evenly. We can’t predict the future; That’s why we buy health insurance! So while I”m not sure what the right answer for reform is, I really hope that it includes measures to protect women. No woman should lose coverage for obtaining basic care.