Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., may be on recess, but she’s still limiting her talking points to health care — and not her plans for a Senate run.

Maloney was back in Washington Thursday to talk up the Democrats’ health care overhaul proposals in light of a new Joint Economic Committee study showing that, under the current system, women suffer disproportionately from a lack of adequate health insurance coverage — a subject that would no doubt play well in the liberal constituencies that make up many of New York’s Democratic primary voters. But she remained mum when asked when she would launch her expected primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who was appointed in January to the Senate seat to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“Let’s just focus on helping pass this important bill,” Maloney said at a Capitol news conference about the JEC study. Asked if she intended to wait until the health care overhaul battle was complete before making a move, the nine-term congresswoman again begged off, saying only that the health care overhaul — “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” — remains her focus.