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"Our foul-mouthed Veep is right: Health care reform is a big flipping deal. That much is clear. But, like most women, what I'm really wondering is how health care reform will impact me. To help clear up my confusion, I phoned SELF's news &amp; health features director, Sara Austin. After our chat, I feel pretty darn optimistic. Here are five reasons why:\\n\\n  \\n1. *Getting insured could become easier.* SELF has told the stories of many women who have [lost their insurance](http://www.self.com/health/2009/09/hurricane-katrina) because they got sick or lost a job, who have had to [skip care because they weren't covered](http://www.self.com/health/2009/09/health-insurance-coverage), or who were [bankrupted by a cancer diagnosis](http://www.self.com/health/2007/09/expensive-cancer-treatment). If reform works as planned, there will be a lot fewer women forced into these horrible situations.\\n\\n2. *Chain restaurants will now be required to list the calories in the food they sell.* [Eateries already do this in New York City](http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2008/09/calorie-counts), where SELF is based. It makes it so much easier to order smart! The 750-calorie taco salad? Thanks, but we'll pass.\\n\\n3. *Easy access to preventive care.* Health reform may eliminate your co-pays and deductibles for [smart screenings](http://www.self.com/health/2008/09/family-history-of-cancer) like mammograms and Pap smears, so now there's no excuse to blow them off.\\n\\n4. *For the first time in your life you will know what your health care really costs.* Hospitals and insurance companies will have to post standard prices, so you can comparison shop. Payments from drug companies to doctors will be in a public database, too. This law puts a lot of new power into the hands of the people who use the health-care system--i.e., you.\\n\\n5. *Better maternity coverage for new mommies.* Health care reform makes it so women will no longer have to purchase expensive bonus plans--called \\\"riders\\\"--on top of their standard plans to cover maternity costs. It also requires providers to make their outcomes public--statistics that should improve care for moms and babies. AND it insists that companies give nursing moms break time and a private place to pump milk for up to year. No more locking yourself in the supply closet!\\n\\n[Read my entire Q&amp;A with Sara Austin](http://www.self.com/health/2010/04/how-healthcare-reform-affects-women). She explains whether or not it will be hard to get an appointment with your doc, what's going to happen with your current plan, and what you can do to inspire even more positive change!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.self.com/story/5-ways-health-care-reform-affe>