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New York, 5:23 PM
Fri Nov 20
71 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/16/09
I miss being a kid and feeling like I would ever have a chance to make one fucking bit of difference in this world. My vote, opinion, body, existence--all mean nothing to this country. #healthnuts
11/16/09
I am continuously appalled at the way this issue is made about everything but what is really at stake: A woman's individual right to decide her own reproductive decisions are every stage. To my mind, that should never be subject to anyone else's approval.
From conscience clauses to Stupak, from "pre-pregnant" to refusing sterilization, it's a concentrated, deliberate, horrifying effort to force every woman to adhere to one view of "morality". Which is really that apparently women shouldn't be having sex unless they want to endlessly bear children. I don't think my choices should be celibacy or motherhood. I don't think anyone else has the right to decide that for me.
I get the "personal responsibility" argument. I get the whole "life is precious" thing, too. And if we lived in a vacuum, or a world where no one was economically downtrodden, or rape didn't occur, or if a system of determining who "deserves" to not to be forced to carry to term was in any way ethical...they might make sense. But we don't.
I'm sick of it. No one wakes up and thinks, gee, I'd really like to have an abortion. But life isn't always predictable.
And honestly, if we don't want women being forced to abort, we shouldn't ever forget that this is just about forcing women to carry to term. You can talk about "life" all you want. But all I see is forced reproduction and the continued belief that women are not really people. #healthnuts
11/16/09
Ok, it's war. #healthnuts
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11/16/09
I've seen some good arguments on law blogs (good as judged by non-attorney me) that explain why Stupak would be unconstitutional so that's at least promising. #healthnuts
11/16/09
11/16/09
[writ.lp.findlaw.com] #healthnuts
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11/16/09
The bill requires 2 things related to abortion. First, any plan offered to people receiving the government subsidy cannot cover abortion. Second, if an insurance company offers a plan on the exchange that is not eligible to people on the subsidy and the plan includes abortion coverage, the insurance company must offer the exact same plan on the exchange without abortion coverage.
It is very likely that most insurance companies will not offer a plan that covers abortion. First reason is fear of the anti-choice activists who can easily search the exchange plans and target those insurance companies. Second reason is that it doesn't make much financial sense as actuaries assume you want coverage because you expect to use it so the extra you pay for abortion coverage will probably not make financial sense to most women. It would probably make more sense to put money away in an emergency account.
The exchange is also meant to provide an option for small businesses. Small businesses can contribute directly to the exchange rather than dealing with an insurance company, so they can get the cheaper rates. So people with employer coverage who are employed by a small business would likely lose abortion coverage. #healthnuts
11/16/09
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11/16/09
Perhaps even more importantly, the 13% statistic does not include women who pay for an abortion up front and then seek reimbursement from their insurance provider. This is common when a medical provider does not participate in a patient’s insurance plan, as is often the case with small, specialized providers, including abortion providers.
11/16/09
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11/16/09
How far does this amendment go? If I have insurance through a government subsidy, and I pay for an abortion out of pocket as I apparently am forced to do, what happens if I have complications from the abortion procedure? Is the medical treatment for the complications covered?
What if 2 years later, I have trouble conceiving and desire fertility treatments covered by insurance (paid for by govt. subsidies). Will my abortion be a pre-existing condition and allow my insurance to deny coverage? #healthnuts
11/16/09
The reform proposals are getting rid of the pre-existing condition exclusions. Even if they didn't get rid of them, a pre-existing condition is something you had prior to your insurance coverage. It isn't about something that happened while you had coverage that the coverage didn't pay for. If you have insurance and pay for elective plastic surgery and end up in the hospital with life-threatening complications, your insurance should pay for the complications treatment even though they didn't pay for the surgery. #healthnuts
11/16/09
I didn't mean "pre-existing condition" in the way we use the phrase now-- I know this legislation would eliminate them. I couldn't think of a better term at the moment... #healthnuts
11/16/09
And what will this amendment mean for women who use fertility treatments and end up pregnant with a dangerous number of fetuses? Will their ability to selectively reduce (expensive, expensive, expensive) be restricted due to its cost and their insurance company's non-coverage of the procedure? Will this mean that the industry that helps infertile couples conceive will have to be totally re-tooled to insure that it's impossible for a woman to possibly be impregnated with a dangerous number of fetuses? In that case, does that mean that, because of this amendment, infertile couples have much less chance of ever bearing their own biological children?
...This shit has gotten really stupid. I'm amazed at the quantum stupidity exhibited by Congress. Just when you think that it can't get any dumber... it does!
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11/16/09
Also, women's circumstances change. Sometimes daddy-to-be takes a hike or becomes abusive, or she loses a job or any number of other reasons that don't have a damn thing to do with any fetal abnormalities. #healthnuts
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11/16/09
As for pharmacists, how about you just give people the pills they've been prescribed and save the moral judgments for elsewhere. I don't know why they should get any say over my reproductive choices. #healthnuts
11/16/09
And it will impact people with employer paid coverage as soon as the exchange begins because the exchange is not only designed for people without employer coverage, it is also designed for small businesses to purchase employer coverage. #healthnuts
11/16/09
11/15/09
I would like to believe that she would never get elected to another position after she quit being the governor of Alaska. She didn't even finish that job so who would elect her for another? I know better than to believe in common sense anymore. #sarahpalin
11/15/09
(Great post, Hortense!) #sarahpalin