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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGOP Ups The Ante, Introduces Legislation To Allow Any Employer To Deny Any Preventive Health Service
Earlier today, in response to criticism from Catholic groups, the White House altered its regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide no-cost contraception coverage as part of their health care plans. Churches and religious nonprofits that primarily employ people of the same faith are still exempt from the requirement, but now religiously affiliated colleges, universities, and hospitals that wish to avoid providing birth control can do so. Their employees will still receive contraception coverage at no additional cost sharing directly from the insurer.
But Republicans and some conservative Catholic groups are not satisfied with the accommodation and hope to use their false claim of religious persecution to deny women access to preventive health services. Despite Obamas decision to shield nonprofit religious institutions from offering birth control benefits, next week Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is expected to offer an amendment that would permit any employer or insurance plan to exclude any health service, no matter how essential, from coverage if they morally object to it:
(6) RESPECTING RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE WITH REGARD TO SPECIFIC ITEMS OR SERVICES
(A) FOR HEALTH PLANS. A health plan shall not be considered to have failed to provide the essential health benefits package described in subsection (a) (or preventive health services described in section 2713 of the Public Health Services Act), to fail to be a qualified health plan, or to fail to fulfill any other requirement under this title on the basis that it declines to provide coverage of specific items or services because
(i) providing coverage (or, in the case of a sponsor of a group health plan, paying for coverage) of such specific items or services is contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan; or
(ii) such coverage (in the case of individual coverage) is contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of the purchaser or beneficiary of the coverage.
Under the measure, an insurer or an employer would be able to claim a moral or religious objection to covering HIV/AIDS screenings, Type 2 Diabetes treatments, cancer tests or anything else they deem inappropriate or the result of an unhealthy or immoral lifestyle. Similarly, a health plan could refuse to cover mental health care on the grounds that the plan believes that psychiatric problems should be treated with prayer.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/02/10/423346/gop-ups-the-ante-introduces-legislation-to-allow-any-employer-to-deny-any-preventive-health-service/
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)I mean, when insurers go to bid to provide health insurance services to Catholic institutions, aren't they simply going to factor in the expected costs of contraceptive services to the proposed insureds? Just because you decree that something is free doesn't make it so.
Here's an analogy: We all know that men pay more for auto insurance than women (driving records being the same) because of statistics regarding men. (It makes as much sense as basing them on race, but that's another rant.) If a state were to require that men and women of the same age, with the same driving records, and the same experience levels pay exactly the same rates, we all know that women's rates would rise and men's would fall to make this happen.
Surely the Catholic organizations will eventually figure that out. If the President can mollify them with today's announcement, then so much the better, but my bet is that they will dope this out soon enough, and it will not be sufficient to placate them.
gholtron
(376 posts)Wow. Republicans really want to see people die. I guess, once your born they want to see you die. Unbelievable.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)These controversies are all merely skirmishes that masks the real agenda of the GOP and the RW. That is through "personhood laws", they want to criminalize women and men who use family planning. They are now moving to get insurers to NOT provide contraceptive coverage.
They are lying like they always do. They are counting on the younger women today to go along with no access because they are not as politically engaged. And if they do they will call them feminazis because they won't take orders from men.
Look at the media the talking heads arguing this issue are all men.
zbdent
(35,392 posts)ThoughtCriminal
(14,056 posts)Compare the cost of contraceptives to the costs of pregnancy.
If birth control is not covered, the cost of the risk pool is going to be higher.
BattyDem
(11,075 posts)Is there any person in this country demanding that their employer be allowed to make healthcare decisions for them or their family?
How can they possibly believe this is a winning issue for them?
Keep it up, guys ... and you'll "force" us into single payer by the end of Obama's second term!
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)I think that they think that they have fixed this election with Voter ID, Citizens United, gerrymandering, and God knows what else. And that they believe that they can even stop Democratic voters with ID from voting as well. They have said the WILL be the only party and will get rid of Democrats. Look at Walker and his goons in Wisconsin shutting down drivers license offices in Demcratic and minority areas. Running seniors through endless conflicting paper work. Putting out wrong info on voting days and times. Electronic machines, shorting voting machines in Democratic districts.
BattyDem
(11,075 posts)karynnj
(59,511 posts)This should not win them a lot of friends.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)they give me a list of what they cover and what procedures i have had done on my personal medicare webpage. it also shows my medical history since i signed up.