Sen. Barbara Mikulski joined a bipartisan effort to introduce an amendment to the Senate’s proposed health care reform bill, requiring all health plans to cover women’s preventive care, including mammograms and cervical cancer screenings.

Congressional leaders appear to have struck on a way to ensure passage of health care reform and the pacification of those in favor and opposed to a government-run health plan: Let states opt out.

While the Senate Finance Committee now has the price tag on its reform bill, one of the mechanisms to pay for coverage is under attack in the House.

Maryland lawmakers underscored the urgency of equitable health care reform on Capitol Hill Oct. 6, drawing attention to a new report by the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University that highlights the economic burden of discriminatory health care practices.