Pregnant and uninsured? For women who become pregnant outside of Obamacare's open enrollment window, that's the harsh reality.

No pregnant woman should have to worry about enrollment dates and blackout periods to get the care she needs. Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can fix this with a stroke of her pen — so let's push her to do the right thing.


Already, other big life events allow people to enroll in health insurance under Obamacare at any time during the year — like giving birth, adopting a child, or getting married. But getting pregnant doesn't qualify.

And that means some pregnant women can lose out on important health care, including essential prenatal care — or face substantial medical costs, even if their pregnancy is without complications.

Under Obamacare, nearly 11.7 million people already have health coverage who didn't have it before. That's amazing progress — and making sure pregnancy is treated the same as other major life events when it comes to getting care is another huge step in the right direction.

Secretary Burwell has a chance to make vital health care a reality for millions more women in need. Make sure she knows where you stand. 

Tags: ACA, enrollment