Obama administration not sure if birth control is a preventive health service.

[Karmadillo]

This is a tough one, not at all an easy choice like letting banksters loot the treasury, prosecuting criminal wars, giving Bush/Cheney a pass, and deep-sixing single-payer. One has to be careful not to offend the conservative base.

http://www.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor/yes-you-will-keep-paying-birth-control

Yes, You Will Keep Paying for Birth Control
Posted: September 23, 2010 at 5:00 PMBy Sharon Lerner

Finally, the day has come when all new insurance plans are required to cover preventive health care without any co-payments or deductibles. But despite reassurances from Congress and the White House that birth control would be covered under health reform, it didn’t make the list of essential preventive services. Instead, all anyone could promise was a future “study.”

Comissioned by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the study is supposed to determine whether contraception is, in fact, a preventive health service. Allowing a year for the research, which is due next August, then additional time to issue new regulations, and, after that, a year in which insurers will have to comply with new regulations, it’ll be at least 2012 before women can get birth control without a hefty co-pay. 2013 is more likely.

Women’s health advocates have sent a letter urging Sebelius to shorten, or better yet, eliminate the delay. “There’s no need to study for an entire year whether birth control is a preventive services,” says Lois Uttley, co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices, one of the more than 60 organizations that signed the letter. “They can come to a conclusion on that issue in a matter of weeks by simply reviewing the existing scientific and medical evidence.” Alternatively, she suggests, they could simply add birth control to the list with no further ado.

But quick resolution doesn’t look likely. In a move that’s brought unpleasant flashbacks to last Winter and Spring, the Catholic Church is waging its own campaign. According to a letter the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent to HHS last week, contraceptives and sterilization should not be considered preventive services. “To prevent pregnancy is not to prevent a disease,” the bishops’ letter explains, going on to argue that the interim list, which doesn’t include birth control, should be made permanent.

more...

[Lucian]

1. The Obama Administration is full of idiots if they believe that it's not preventive.

[flyarm]

4. no, not idiots, anyone who wanted to know what and how they would govern could have known..

I certainly did . Because I did the research behind the man and many who he was likely to name in his cabinet, long before the primaies were over.

This is no surprise to me what so ever.

[ensho]

5. kick - sometimes I wonder if Obama is a prude

nt

[flyarm]

7. not at all..he knows damn well what he is doing.

[ensho]

15. do you know what prude means?

nt

[flyarm]

16. Yes this grandmother certainly does..I was not born yesterday.

I happened to have lived through the "PRUDE" time frame of this nation.

When abortions were illegal and back alley's killed girls I went to school with and even took the life of one of my 16 year old cousins. Birth control was a mere thought and dream of women.


I have spent a lifetime fighting for womens reproductive rights.

Do I know what a prude is ..yes indeed.

I also know when we have leaders who hate women's reproductive rights and hide behind cowardess, while attempting to destroy those rights.

And people who attempt to make excuses for them.

I have walked many women past horrific protests into abortion clinic's.

I have watched and documented Newspapers that ran ads for abortion protesters in many major cities that hired methadone users for pickets and protests at abortion clinics.

I have fought against politicians of both parties who tried and have continuously attempted to revoke womens reproductive rights.

I even Flew for a major airline for 33 years , that when one got married or god forbid pregnant one had to quit or be fired for even getting marrried..and I fought them with all I had and helped build a union that fought for our rights..until we won our rights in the Supreme Court and it re-instated all who were fired for simply getting MARRIED! Then fought for the rights of Pregnant women to continue to work until their pregnancy effected their ability to evacuate an aircraft in an emergency.

And you??????????

[shraby]

19. And I on my genealogy website have entered hundreds of

deaths of young women who died in childbirth or shortly (within a week) of childbirth. Birth control IS a preventative measure.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ensho]

20. I thank you for the work you have done for us women.

I didn't say you were a prude. I wondered if Obama is a prude. I've thought this on a number of occasions.

I'm not a prude.

I'm pro Obama and wish him well.

[flyarm]

23. he is not a PRUDE..he knows damn well what he is doing !

and anyone who did the research on this man should have known what was coming from him!

But I know, I know..research is hard...and takes time!

[Name removed]

72. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KakistocracyHater]

84. then WHAT is he doing?

*

[defendandprotect]

100. Attacking reproductive freedom ... obviously ... !!

And for some time that's been going on in the Democratic Party --

Cprporate money doesn't only buying overturning of oil wells -- it buys

overturn of reproductive freedom -- and affirmative action.

Patriarchal Elites really don't want to pay for labor --



Patriarchy -- and its underpinning =
Organized Patriarchal Religion -- and its economic system =
Capitalism
________________________

= The Unholy Trinity

[defendandprotect]

98. If Bush had said this, would that have been your guess... that he was a "prude"...???

Or would you have seen thru the sham into the reality of what is going on?

[hendo]

154. +1 :) NT

[nadinbrzezinski]

147. No he is not

on issues such as this, he is very much right of center... and so are his aides.

If this was about money, as some folks have suggested on this site, it would not be even open for discussion. This is about his (and many others on the right) view of morality... Christian Morality to be exact.

[Scruffy1]

87. This is a great respons-thanks

[ThatsMyBarack]

92. +1...

For Granny flyarm! :hi:

[defendandprotect]

99. Thank you --

:yourock:

[SammyWinstonJack]

91. +1

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jaxx]

25. What would you call them instead of Democrat?

[Name removed]

66. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[eilen]

68. ummm I would say it but I think it would break the rules

and hurt feelings. Can't have hurt feelings. It would disrupt the implicit feeling of trust for the vulnerable.

[Autumn]

71. Democrats do not do this.

I can not believe that they would ever do this.

[eilen]

75. You and I are in agreement that Democrats do not do this

So what pray tell manner of political phyla is in there now? I suppose it is the post-partisan New! Improved! Wealth Conscious! Considerate! Cooperative! Democrats -- aka DLC.

[hendo]

155. Isn't Hillary a DLC'er? Not an attack, just curious. NT

[BrklynLiberal]

36. +1000

My heart is breaking.

[msanthrope]

11. They believe it's preventative---that's why Sebelius has them studying it.....

You know why it's taking a year????

Because it will be challenged in court by the Catholic Church, who will not want to pay for its employees.

So you need an airtight study....not done in a few weeks.

[Gormy Cuss]

26. It would only take a few months to do a meta analysis of existing research

and if the White House really wanted to push it through, it would have done so.

[BrklynLiberal]

39. Hard to know what this WHite House REALLY wants. It does not seem to be willing

to actually PUSH anything............

I have yet to see any sign of a courageous stand on any issue.

Sometime people will vote for someone they might disagree with to some extent, if they see in his stand, the courage of his convictions.

[pokercat999]

89. This is exactly what the rethugs are counting on and what will

make their candidate the next president.

Even stupid and destructive positions that are put forward with total conviction can overcome objections from "normal" people and even though they disagree it's better than the milquetoast alternative. We are going to repeat this lesson this year and again in 2012.

What I find so strange is the difference between Candidate Obama and President Obama. The change is astounding.

[flyarm]

54. + 1 million and EXTREMELY obvious to anyone who really cares!

and is not grasping at straws for excuses!

[flyarm]

53. it has been challanged for 40 years..no new study needed! please stop the excuses! eom

[Autumn]

67. Let the Catholic Church pay to

prove that birth control is preventative. Why should our tax dollars study it? Again.

[defendandprotect]

101. Obama has increased taxpayer $$ for "faith based" religious organizations ....

most of them being Catholic organizations --

i.e., it's likely that we're helping them pay for their pedophile lawsuits!!

[JDPriestly]

103. This is why I have been concerned about the large number of Catholics on the

Supreme Court -- devout Catholics. It isn't a matter of religion. It is a matter of women's rights -- of human rights -- an area in which the Catholic Church is still living in the 14th century.

[depakid]

73. In any number of areas, this has been already been well established

[Orsino]

74. The Obama Administration is full of politicians...

...who understand and fear American prudery.

[gkhouston]

188. Oh, FFS. What about women with PCOS. Women with metrorrhagia. Women with

various health conditions for whom a pregnancy would be A Very Bad Thing for them and/or the child? :banghead:

[enlightenment]

2. Gee, what a surprise.

It's so nice that religious leaders' opinions carry more weight than decades of scientific research.

:sarcasm:

[flyarm]

3. ahh nahhh..the cowards need to push it past the election in 2012..

lets see if Viagra is on that list..anyone know?????????? or how about those lovely commericals with the bath tubs..do they get Tax deductions for advertising their products? You know all those bath tub dancing in the park scenes run on the World Series every 3 minutes or during the Super Bowl..do those corps get tax deductions for runing their commericals????????????/ Do men get their Viagra & Cialis paid for in this bill? And if so Did they get a year long study? ( sorry I don't know the answer to that , and appreciate anyone enlightening me)

But what I want to know is do those corporations get tax deductions for running their commericals on all sports networks and during major sporting events?????????

Because if they do, that is a severe conflict..tax dollars used to promote an erection pill..but tax dollars and insurance being held up to protect women from unwanted preganancy which could effect a woman's health and well being.

This administration does not cease to amaze me, and not in a good way. But there is no lack of lackeys around here willing to tell me I am a BAD DDEMOCRAT ..if I stay home in Nov.

[Tsiyu]

112. Obama has a wife and two daughters

He has the benefit of an extensive education.

I don't get this.

And I agree, if Viagra is allowed but Birth Control is not, I am going to be pissed.

From one old lady to another, your outrage and mine are justified here.

This is NOT who Democrats are, not in 2010, not ever.


Don't know about the tax deductions...maybe others do..

[boppers]

157. Neither daughter is old enough to be sexually active.

I'm expecting some serious whiplash once this changes.

[Bobbieo]

8. Let's ban viagra, etc. in the US and create a lucrative black market operation.

[flyarm]

9. well lets certainly make sure it is not paid for until birth control is paid for by Insurance corps!

[ensho]

14. kick

nt

[hendo]

156. my insurance covers my wife's birth control. NT

[flyarm]

167. NOW, perhaps that will change shortly when the insurance boys all know Obama sold women out with

all the huge loop holes! Just as children were just dropped for many insurance corps!

[hendo]

191. Oh well, we were wanting to have a kid soon anyways

Obama sure is dropping the ball on a lot of issues, while our leadership continues to tell us to stop complaining about it.

[mwooldri]

190. Birth control is definitely preventive care - Viagra is not.

My work health care program disagrees though with me... they do provide free preventive meds for diabetes, people with high blood pressure or high cholesterol and free prescription vitamins... but female birth control is not free. Neither is male birth control. Also Viagra and similar ED meds are most definitely NOT in the formulary, so if you are prescribed Viagra by the doc, my work insurance plan won't pay for it.

[msanthrope]

10. Right--let's make sure the rightwing wins a court challenge by short-circuiting the process.

No, Sebelius cannot wave a wand and make it so.

Yes, she is taking a year to draft and review a study that will stand up to challenge in court.

Does it suck? Yes.

Is taking a year to prepare for the judicial challenges smart? Yes.

Is getting an air-tight study that withstand scrutiny worth it? YES.....and you don;t do that in a few weeks.

[flyarm]

17. all Sebelius needs do is pull out all the hundreds of thousands of such reports done in the past 40

years!

come on......get real.............

and how many court cases have been tried and won by women????? How many Supreme Court cases have been won?????

Do any of the people making excuses think we women were born yesterday?

Perhaps the young women today are ignorant to these court cases that have been fought and won..but those of us Baby boomers who have walked this walk and fought this fight for our entire adult lifetimes ..are not so ignorant of the facts!

[dkf]

12. Lots of health problems start after a woman gets pregnant.

It screwed up my friend's thyroid.

[Starry Messenger]

13. C'mon liberal wimmin.

Having babies is patriotic! :patriot: Show your trust in the "recovering" economy by going ahead and enlarging your family. What could possibly go wrong? :sarcasm: (just in case)

[blindpig]

45. You bet

The Homeland will need cannon fodder!

[Starry Messenger]

46. As long as there are wars to fight

governments will oppose birth control. They like to couch it in fancy language, but that's all it really boils down to, IMO.

[maryf]

50. The Homeland will need cannon fodder...

Took the words out of my mouth...this country will be the police force for the corporations for a long time...have to protect those interests...(k&r)...

[Scruffy1]

That's how we got food stamps.

At the start of WWII 40% of the fragtees and volunteers couldn't pass a rudimentary physical largely because of malnutrition. So food stamps were an easy answer for providing well nourished canon fodder.

[Scruffy1]

88. That's how we got food stamps.

At the start of WWII 40% of the draftees and volunteers couldn't pass a rudimentary physical largely because of malnutrition. So food stamps were an easy answer for providing well nourished canon fodder.
Besides it was cheaper than providing real jobs at a living wage.

[Big Bill Jefferson]

18. Those who bought into the slogans

‘Hope' and ‘Change' last fall should have read the fine print. There were plenty of warnings.

[flyarm]

28. ABSOLUTELY! in fact I woud go as far as saying ..I spoke to many young women and warned of this

exact same scenerio. I warned as strongly as I possibly could. But the interest was just not there among the young women I spoke with ...and I spoke with many many...they didn't give much thought about their reproductive rights..other than to say..No democrat would ever screw with their rights.

I said don't blame me when you find out otherwise, and I asked them to remember that I had warned them.

[Big Bill Jefferson]

30. I encountered

the same thing. In fact when trying to point out these warning signs in good faith I encountered much hostility.

[flyarm]

33. oh yes.I do remember the hostility as well, in fact one such young lady called me the C word.

A word I thought had been retired in the 60's!

Such are the times I thought.

I was even called ..a racist. For bringing up Reproductive rights.

Irregardless of the fact that I am married to an dual minority and have children who are Dual minorities.

How the jump was made from Reproductive Rights to racisism is still beyond my comprehension.:wtf: :eyes: :eyes:

[boppers]

159. Reproductive Rights and racism is actually a matter of history.

That's Margaret Sanger, the founder of planned parenthood.

Early advocates viewed birth control as a positive means to limit the reproduction of the "less desirable".

[Radical Activist]

136. oh the drama!

All this means is that women will have to pay a co-pay for birth control until the bureaucratic silliness is worked out and lawsuits filed by the Catholic church are defeated. But even before that, more women will have access to health insurance and birth control with a co-pay. That's an EXPANSION of reproductive rights, not an assault on them.

[msanthrope]

149. Please don't let facts get in the way of a good anti-Obama rant!!! n/t

[flyarm]

168. again, let me ask you..who controls your vagina?????????

[Radical Activist]

170. What does HCR expanding access to birth control

have to do with your question? Access is already increasing due to HCR, and after what looks like a stupid one year delay, it will be expanded even more. I don't equate making birth control more easily available to more women with controlling vaginas.

[Name removed]

171. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Radical Activist]

181. So you oppose increasing access to birth control?

All I wrote is that HCR expands access to birth control, and will do so even more in the future. That's a good thing in my view. Your hateful, sexist rant is uncalled for. At no point have I suggested that the government should control anyone's vagina and it's deeply offensive for you to suggest that I have. And even though you've done three edits, your personal attacks against me remain. It's ironic that you accuse me of trying to control your vagina right before you tell me what I should be doing with my penis.

What exactly do you mean by saying my daddy sent me to post propaganda?

[Name removed]

184. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hekate]

189. What "shoe"? Who do you think his daddy is and why would his daddy send him here?

I totally would like to know what this piece of gossip entails, because it sounds really :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat:

Also, why do you need to keep repeating vagina over and over and over to make your point?

Hekate

[Brickbat]

32. There were indeed.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

94. Bingo!

:thumbsup:

[Brickbat]

22. Man, these people sure like studies, don't they?

[Catshrink]

27. Follow the money.

someone gets it for this research.

[Greyhound]

24. K&R&OMFG.

It's like we stepped through the looking glass and then found a time warp and stepped through that.

We are completely on our own.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lorien]

80. Yep, no representation for you...or for me

or for damn near anyone who gave them a mandate for Change in 2008. :grr:

[Poll_Blind]

31. The Obama Conundrum, part #116.

:wtf:

PB

[Bluebear]

34. From the man who told women to be "prayerful" about reproductive choice.

[flyarm]

47. and has said he admires Reagan and GW...amazing isn't it!

[rucky]

109. not fair.

He was on the 700 Club when he said that, and probably made thousands of the female viewers think about choice for the first time ever. He was framing the issue in their language, and I thought it was pretty brilliant.

[flyarm]

113. dupe

[flyarm]

114. not brillant..you either believe and stand up for your principles and values or you don't

or you never had those principles or values to begin with!

One does not change their principles and values for a particular audience!

[rucky]

115. How does that compromise principles?

You're hung up on the "prayerful" and ignoring the "decision"

[flyarm]

116. If you have to ask , you will never know or understand

and I could say.. feel sorry for you!

[rucky]

118. Don't. n/t

[Bluebear]

121. That's the definition of pandering, then.

[rucky]

131. Making a pro-choice comment on the 700 Club is pandering?

[flyarm]

172. parsing ones words to pander is pandering! It is not standing up for ones so called democratic

principles that have long existed before This president was out of high school!

[BrklynLiberal]

35. I am truly starting to get physically ill....

I will vote..and it will be for Democrats...this November.

This is such a total betrayal of women and their health care.
I will VERY seriously investigate third party candidates in 2012.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BrklynLiberal]

42. and the ultimate irony..the appeasing of Wall St has had the same results as the appeasement of the

repukes...another fat kick in the ass for most of us..





I ma beginning to understand why no one in this administration is standing up to the repukes and Wall St..They simply do not want to.

[democracy1st]

59. and democratic supporters that don't read or follow all the details tend to see the

tea party bigots acting a fool,and confusingly think its the repubs that are totally to blame.

[Lorien]

79. I'm with you 100%

I will write in a candidate-maybe Kuncinich-rather than Obama in 2012. He's done zip to earn my vote a second time.

[Catherina]

37. Obama administration doesn't seem too sure about much of anything

that traditional Democrats stand for.

Another day, another revolting disappointment.

[BrklynLiberal]

40. +100000

I am beyond disappointed. It is getting to the level of "this is what I should have expected."

[ChiciB1]

107. Have We Gotten To The Point Where We Are Simply At A Loss For Words??

I think I'm probably there, and I don't give a rat's ASS what his avid supporters have to say, it's gone WAY beyond disappointment for me! Viagra... no extra investigation, birth control -- must be a problem here!

IF Obama runs again in 2012, I don't see HOW I could EVER vote for him again! I wasn't one who was a SUPER supporter of his in the first place, but I DID MY DUTY and went out and worked hard to get him elected! There WAS NO OTHER choice at the time! Next time around, I don't think the choice will be so clear! He's lurked so far to the right of me, I can't even watch ANY of his "pretty speeches" anymore! Actually STOPPED watching some time ago.

I come here to see what's going on because I can barely watch MSM, and each time I return it just another "slap in the face!"

I'm not sure I can even take much more! I post less and less, and I come here less and less! I've tried to be "part" of the discussion, voicing my opinions, but it's gotten almost ridiculous, to the point of the absurd! I feel FROZEN OUT, and I don't know where to turn! Crawl back into a hole I suppose and "what will be, will be!" I no longer feel I have ANY way of fighting back, not do I see ANY light in ANY tunnel!

:grr: :puke: but mostly :scared:

[woo me with science]

51. +1000 nt

[defendandprotect]

102. Agree ... except there is a huge interest in pleasing business ....

elites --

and pulling in corporate money!!

[Vinca]

38. Amazing. This should not be a matter that requires discussion.

Birth control services are essential. A study????? They need a study?????

[flyarm]

48. let me see..Just how many of these studies have taken place in my adult lifetime...hmmm..

I am 58..lets see...Oh yeah..for my entire adult lifetime!!!!!!

Gee ya think they could pull out any one of the hundreds of thousands of these reports???????????

[EFerrari]

43. What a farce. n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

44. Another bold move to illustrate the administration's support of women't rights.

:sarcasm:

[flyarm]

49. or any of these American RIGHTS>>>>>>>or should be RIGHTS

FBI agents confiscate materials from activist's apartment
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=edit&forum=389&topic_id=9198859&mesg_id=9199490

................................................................................

Obama invokes 'state secrets' claim to dismiss suit against targeting of U.S. citizen al-Aulaqi

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4552761

...............................................................................

New Jersey: mobbed up and ready to go -The Charter Industrial Complex (Booker = DFER)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9185808

..............................................................................

Health insurers drop coverage for children ahead of new rules
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4546899

[mitchtv]

55. It brings to mind the '08 CA election

ther was two ballot initiatives, one anti choice, parental notification, proposition, and the anti Gay prop 8.
California's voters defeated the anti choice prop, then went over and approved prop8. Now the religionists are coming for them.

[eilen]

69. Don't fret, we'll get a passionate speech about

the administration's strong support for women's rights, very strong words, maybe even a personal anecdote. blah blah blah. And all will be well again.

or not.

Maybe instead there will be an anonymous administration comment (read Insult) referencing EL, Code Pink or NOW.

[fascisthunter]

90. wow.. it gets worse by the day

[Bluebear]

124. You're supposed to envision how much worse McCain would have been.

[Odin2005]

52. I am getting REALLY pissed off!

:grr:

[suffragette]

56. In the year of the 50th anniversary of the pill, despite

it being one of the most studied, perhaps THE most studied medication in the world, we are going to be subject to another year of study and the attendant political games that go with that to determine IF it's preventive care.

I feel like I've fallen through the Looking Glass.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/187971.php

The birth control pill, the most studied medication in the world, reaches its 50-year milestone this month. Since the introduction of the pill in the US, numerous types of hormonal and nonhormonal contraceptives have been developed, all greatly expanding women's birth control options. Originally intended solely for pregnancy prevention, decades of research have shown a host of health benefits from the birth control pill and other forms of hormonal contraception, including cancer prevention and relief from menstruation disorders.

According to Hal Lawrence, MD, Vice President of Practice Activities at The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, "While pregnancy prevention may be the foremost reason why a woman might use oral contraception, she is also protecting her future health. For example, the longer a woman is on the pill, the greater her protection against ovarian cancer. Long-term pill use can lower the risk of ovarian cancer by about 40%, and possibly up to 80% for women who take the pill for a decade or more."

The pill also reduces the risk of endometrial cancer-the most common gynecological cancer in the US-by up to 50% and protection may last up to 15 years after discontinuing it. Women on the pill also have a reduced risk of pelvic inflammatory disease requiring hospitalization, acne, benign breast disease, and ectopic pregnancy. The pill also helps prevent anemia, heavy uterine bleeding, and endometriosis pain. Experts believe that many of the other types of hormonal contraception confer similar health benefits as the pill.

"The noncontraceptive health benefits of the pill have been one of the most important public health stories of the last century," said Dr. Grimes. For instance, in both the US and United Kingdom, rates of endometrial and ovarian cancer should be rising due to later childbearing and fewer children per women. "But rates of both cancers are declining, presumably due to the use of the pill by tens of millions of women." In fact, according to Dr. Grimes, recent studies from the Royal College of General Practitioners have shown a net reduction in cancers and significantly greater longevity among pill users.





This is absurd.

[flyarm]

57. more than absurd, it was planned by the very people Obama allowed to write the Health care reform

piece of shit! with loop holes big enough to take a whole herd of elephants through! If you get my drift!

[suffragette]

63. Hey fly

Right there with you on this.

:hug:

[flyarm]

105. and I with you!!!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :hi: :hi: :hug:

[suffragette]

122. I tried to drill down for more info on what is or isn't

covered/affected by the new rules and ran into a morass of details, but not much that was clear.

And much of what seemed like it might be clear at first become muddied through insurance companies receiving what look like exemptions to me.

1) It looks like groups on both sides of this geared up for it:
Here's the most thorough article I found on that. It details the efforts being made by Mikulski, Franken, Boxer, Planned Parenthood, etc to get family planning included as preventive as well as noting the opposition. Didn't include excerpt since the whole article is important reading:
http://bluewavenews.com/blog/2010/07/13/conservative-activists-plan-fight-against-birth-control/

2) This is hitting the news cycle now because the changes in preventive care coverage requirements kicked in on Sept 23. Of course, there's fine print there for the insurance companies benefit:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/728716
Healthcare Reform Changes: September 23, 2010

September 17, 2010 — Healthcare reform, officially called the Affordable Care Act, was signed into law by President Obama last March. But this September 23, it picks up steam. Six major provisions will be enacted to set reform on its way.

Here's a quick look at the provisions:

Extending Coverage for Young Adults: Young adults can stay on a parent's plan until they turn 26. This doesn't apply to young adults who already have health insurance through a job.
Providing Free Preventive Care: New plans must offer free preventive services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies. This means they cannot charge you a deductible, co-pay, or coinsurance. (Note: This only includes new plans, not those already in effect when the healthcare reform law passed.)
Banning Insurance Companies from Rescinding Coverage: When someone with health insurance got sick, insurance companies would sometimes search for an error or other mistake on that person's application to deny coverage. That practice will no longer be legal. (Note: For most people, this will take effect in January 2011, at the beginning of a health plan's new year.)
Appealing Insurance Company Decisions: Consumers will have two ways to appeal coverage decisions or claims: through their insurer or through an independent decision-maker. (Note: This only includes new plans, not those already in effect when the healthcare reform law passed.)
Eliminating Lifetime Limits on Insurance Coverage: Insurance companies can't set lifetime limits on key benefits, such as hospital stays. (Note: This only includes new plans, not those already in effect when the healthcare reform law passed.)
Regulating Annual Limits on Insurance Coverage: The law will restrict insurance companies' ability to set annual dollar limits on coverage for individual and group plans.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/healthy_living/109921/health_care_reform_fine_print

The biggest impact could be that you no longer will have to pay a co-pay, co-insurance, or any other cost sharing for preventive care services like cancer and cholesterol screenings, diabetes testing, and counseling from your doctor about treating depression or losing weight.

The idea is that catching and treating things like cancer and heart disease early can prevent more expensive care from being necessary down the road, and that more people might actually access these services if they don't need to cough up a sometimes-hefty co-pay for them.

This being the government, of course there is fine print.

1. The Grandfather Clause

If your health plan existed and hasn't changed significantly since the law was passed on March 23, you're out of luck -- "grandfathered" plans don't have to comply. Most people who already have health care would be covered under one of these plans, I'd suspect.


I bolded the preventive part above since that's the issue here. And many elephants walking through the "grandfather" section.

Going back to the 1st article, here are the entities making the recommendations, as far as I can discern:
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/

From the 1st article:
According to Sen. Al Franken (DMN), for example, “several crucial women’s health services are omitted” from the USPSTF recommendations and “Senator Mikulski’s amendment closes this gap” by including other key services, “such as the well woman visit, prenatal care, and family planning.”
~~~
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will be putting together the guidelines for coverage and Sonfield notes that there are many organizations who believe that family planning should be included in preventive services for women, including Healthy People 2010 and the Centers for Disease Control.


Found a comment page for USPSTF, but they only take comments on specific issues for a limited time:http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/tfcomment.htm
Their front page features a nomination section. Maybe we need to coordinate to get a new member who won't accept the omission Franken describes above?
USPSTF Member Nominations
Solicitation for New USPSTF Member Nominations.
(September 2010)

Looking through the site led to some easy to find info such as no co-pays for certain screenings (well, for some that is) but not much I could find on medications as part of preventive care. Maybe someone else will dig down and find what I can't.

All in all, clear as mud as to what went into determining preventive care and a fairly muddled approach with loopholes, omissions and exemptions aplenty.

But, hopefully this info helps us take sock of the current situation a bit more and know some of the key people and groups involved.

[flyarm]

125. Thanks for all your research! It is greatly appreciated! I have saved and will read through when i

get the time!!

Thanks again!!

fly

[suffragette]

127. You're welcome

I think I just scratched the surface, though.
Feel free to PM me as you find more so we can do our best to figure it out together.

[Hello_Kitty]

58. It prevents the medical condition of pregnancy.

Jesus Christ on a cracker they can't be this dumb.

[flyarm]

60. Nope they are not DUMB..this is all in the plans for us..

it is change we can't believe in but we better damn sure vote for!

More of the new GOTV strategy!

Fall in line or they line you up!:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[LWolf]

61. Enough is enough.

[Dappleganger]

62. Birth control is also used for

regulating periods. My daughter has to be on it or she just can't function in school.

[Lorien]

81. And regulating hormonal imbalances that cause depression

I was given it at age 16, long before I was sexually active, to treat a severe imbalance that I had until my late teens. A friend of mine-a doctor- has his teen daughter on it for the very same reason. She never would have made it through High School without The Pill.

[Odin2005]

142. My friend with cerebral palsy needs BC pills to supress her periods.

Menstruating when you are stuck in a wheelchair is not fun, or so she tells me.

[flyarm]

173. many women going through menopause are put on BC in the early stages

for many various reasons.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

64. The base problem is still that...

...men don't get pregnant. If they did, birth control and abortion would have been Federally funded from the get-go. Nothing to study. Birth control prevents unwanted pregnancy and thus, abortions. If anyone tried to control men and their bodies and lives like that it would NOT be tolerated. Period.

[SammyWinstonJack]

97. +1000

:applause:

[ChiciB1]

134. I Wonder If The Insurance Covers That Pesky Little Problem When A Man

supposedly has an erection for more than FOUR HOURS!! Care to gander a guess?? I suppose THAT'S a medical emergency! How many studies were done for that little situation??

[flyarm]

174. heck they didn't need studies, all they needed was two bath tubs in a jungle!

or the latest one..is two hands to grab with at the kitchen sink!..and a shit eating grin!

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[undeterred]

70. so hes Catholic now...

[Dawson Leery]

76. Following the Non-Man in the Vatican?

[BlueIris]

77. What a shock.

Not.

Tick, tock, Mr. President.

[Lorien]

78. The conservative base is the OTHER PARTY'S base. It would be nice if they

would grasp this fact and stop pissing on their own base. Birth control is damned expensive; even from planned parenthood a prescription for The Pill runs between $35-48 a month. Raising children is also expensive, and THE PLANET DOESN'T "NEED" ONE MORE. You can bet these backwards misogynist fuckers will want VIAGRA covered, though!

[HughMoran]

119. Planned parenthood claims $15 - $50, free if you're under the poverty line

Another site quotes $15 - $25 for generic. :shrug:

[Hello_Kitty]

129. Well shucky darn.

Silly women, why are they making such a big fuss over being denied b/c as preventive care in the health care bill because we must appease the panty sniffers.

[HughMoran]

130. Snarky and nasty

Good for you :thumbsup:

[Name removed]

132. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Techn0Girl]

82. I'd be curious to see if VIAGRA was covered

[flyarm]

104. I want that answer as well! Does anyone know the answer to date? eom

[Techn0Girl]

123. I''m curious - who do you and another poster always end your messages with "eom"

I assume that means "end of message" . It seems odd. Am I missing something?

[flyarm]

126. it's End Of Message..as you thought..

it saves people looking inside for more of a message..thats all..some people put N/T for No Text..others EOM end of message.

Just a matter of what was more popular when you started at DU i suppose..for me it is just a habit..so others won't look for more message.

fly..:toast: :hi: :fistbump:

[uncommon]

177. We have had this discussion many times - "Viagra corrects a malfunction, birth control prevents a

normal process" is the usual response.

[Withywindle]

83. Birth control is OBVIOUSLY preventative.

If you want to prevent pregnancy, that's how it's done. DUH. And obviously it is cheaper and less traumatic than abortion.

Why does the Conference of Catholic Bishops have ANY legitimate input into government conversations about medicine?

"To prevent pregnancy is not to prevent a disease"

Well, yes, they're actually pretty much the same, in cases where pregnancy is unwanted. It's no more OK to force pregnancy onto an unwilling host (because of various fetalist, misogynist superstitions) than it is to force mumps or polio onto an unwilling child because of various anti-vax superstitions.

[ChiciB1]

133. Well, You Know What The Catholic Church Supports... It's Called...

The "rhythm method!" Perhaps I've dated myself, but THAT'S what I was told to do when I first got married! Not that I REALLY understood it all that much, but somehow I did manage NOT to get pregnant for a couple of years! By then I was ready to have children and did have a daughter. After her, I didn't want to do the rhythm thing and my doctor told me about THE PILL!

I was sooooooooooo relieved, and so was my husband! Three years later I had a son! THAT was enough, thank you!

Also, I'm no longer a Catholic and I don't think they want me back!

BTW, is the rhythm method still their belief, I honestly don't know this answer!

[flyarm]

175. Notice that the Catholic church didn't say a damn thing about Viagra coming on the market

and how long have they moved pedophiles all around our communities????????

and into the poorest of nations..to prey on our children!!!

seems they keep wanting us to have kids for their sick demented pleasure! and has been covered up by even this brownshirt pope!


Oh and I no longer belong to that religion I was raised in either!

Until all their pedophiles are in prisons , I will never walk into those churches.

[ChiciB1]

182. We're Definitely On The Same Page... Not Only Here, But On Other Issues As Well... n/t

[treestar]

85. How much does it cost?

How is this a major expenditure anyway?

[HughMoran]

93. It's not.

never has been.

[Hello_Kitty]

139. Not to you, anyway.

But that's beside the point. Contraception is preventive care just as much as any of the other things included under that category in the HCR law. It prevents a medical condition, no matter what the panty-sniffers think.

[Hello_Kitty]

138. Can't be more than childbirth. eom

[ProSense]

86. Planned Parenthood:

Planned Parenthood: "the greatest advancement for women’s health care in 45 years"

[defendandprotect]

95. Sounds like something Bush would have said -- !! Did we vote for this ... ???

[suzie]

185. Interesting that some people rip Obama for an administration study about

preventative health care and birth control.

And yet, Dennis Kucinich could vote for and stand for anti-women's reproductive choice measures for 30 years and it was not a problem.

Dennis K. was still the most wonderful Democrat ever.

[RainDog]

96. incredible. kowtow to the religious right a little more, demos

and you'll find you have your head up your behinds.

but, sadly, too many of us see this already.

[flyarm]

106. and they will continue to assume you have no 'CHOICE" but to vote for them!

My "CHOICE" began at age 18, and it continues to today at age 58.

No one owns my reproductive rights, nor my vote! Nor that of my daughter in law or grand daughter and if these bastards thought I would stop caring and fighting because today I am in menopause, they are sorely mistaken.

I have a very long memory of Nancy,sweet Nancy, who I went to school with from kindergarten through High School, that was found dead in a small sea side town, in the dead of winter, in a Boat winter storage wherehouse. She was butchered by a quack who attempted an abortion on her and left her to die. Nancy was a very sweet girl and a very pretty girl. Who Died at age 17.

And My cousin Cindy, who became preganet at age 16, she was not quite 1 year younger than me. She was put into a Catholic a home for unwed mothers, in San Francisco and had her baby taken from her at birth. Given away for adoption, the shame back then was enormous. Two years later Cindy committed suicide. In those two years she was sent to Catholic priests for counciling and shrinks and put on all kinds of pills to dull the pain she felt of her baby being taken away.

It was after her death that my mom took me to Planned Parenthood ,to get what was in my area of the country, the first place one could get the pill.

I thank god every day that my mom was such an incredible progressive woman! Who happened to have quite a bit of Distain for her church and it's leaders! I will never forget her telling me not to confess at church to taking the pill..she told me it was none of their damn business. Nor was it any man's damn business. I actually can still see the serious look in her face!

After my cousins death, my mom never walked into the church again. We were sent with my dad.

The only time she ever entered the church again was for her funeral. Over my sincere and angry protests! I only prevailed by making sure it was made very short, no mass, and no more than 10 minutes. My adament demands were for her. For all gifts she gave me ,in the courage to fight for my rights! And the rights of all women!!!

Let me finish my rant by saying this..

President Obama and all the men and women in this government OF MINE.. who would turn the clock back or think you will hold women hostage for Birth control or any other reproductive rights....stick it up your ass! Sideways!

I know where my ass will be sitting this November! And you only have yourselves to blame.

[rucky]

108. Ask a high school student what they learn in HEALTH class. n/t

[felix_numinous]

110. This conservative base has taken too much control of everything already.

Even the majority of Americans voting President Obama in on his progressive platform could not affect this power. I think President Obama cannot even address his progressive base because of the status quo in Washington. The sooner Americans wake up to this truth, the better.

In the short term we have to vote Democrats in office, but for the long term, there is something else quite disturbing going on and we all know it.

[Individualist]

111. K&R

[Rex]

117. To prevent pregnancy is not to prevent a disease...wow no shit

color me stupid is this the 15th century? Oh wait, politicans doing that crazy people say as public policy. Right forgot. In God we Trust(tm).

[ChiciB1]

120. Just Giving This ONE MORE KICK!! I Just Came Back From Visiting My

neighbor, a fellow Democrat and was telling her about this! Her first comment was "What is wrong with Obama?" She told how frustrated she's become with him, and I need to add, she's a bit to the right of me! However, she's more Liberal than many Democrats in my area!

Her next comment DID surprise me. She said IF he runs again she WILL NOT vote for him again! I did HAVE to comment that we HAD TO BE SURE that we have another VIABLE candidate to run, because by all that's happening with the Repukes, THEIR candidate could actually be a WING-NUT like "wonder boy" RUBIO!

Still, she AND many of my Democratic friends have told me that they've HAD ENOUGH of this administration and some have simply asked "whatever happened to holding his feet to the fire?" To which I added that many Democrats here don't even want to HEAR THAT! Something that I find ominous at best, because if even the DLC/DINO types won't say "whoa" on this, I fear things could get MUCH WORSE!

Me? I've watched the lurch to the "right" by this administration a long time ago! But THIS issue should be a "no brainer" and HOW more research or anything like that could EVEN be entertained SCREAMS to me that we are being hijacked and perhaps they will STOP at nothing!

What? Does Obama think this will make him look MORE CHRISTIAN? I have no other answer for it! I was ONCE a strict Catholic, and have a sister who still is, but even SHE is for birth control and believes abortion should be left up to the person!

[yurbud]

128. If you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing to anyone.

[flyarm]

164. and that is where Obama and his administration are today.nothing to anyone in his base! n/t

[quiet.american]

135. What if b/c is not classified as preventive, but still classified in a way that reduces the co-pay.

That is another option.

It is just amazing to me to see the constant rush to demonize every single government process. It's strikes me as amazingly immature.

[Radical Activist]

137. I was wondering the same thing.

In any case, more women will now have access to health insurance, and birth control with a co-pay, than before HCR was passed.

[hayu_lol]

141. During the primary...

when Obama was ducking in and out of churches, he was asked repeatedly by the press about abortion. He said the same thing every time when the question came up: "It's a moral issue." His perpetual answer on the subject.

As a young man, 20 or so, we lived in a small duplex in Honolulu. Our neighbors were a young couple like ourselves who had 4 stairstepped children. They were very faithful practicing Catholics. The father was an unemployed sugar cane worker.

The duplex units shared a living room/kitchen wall. One day when I was home, we heard all four kids next door screaming. The noise did not stop. We went next door and the oldest child(about 5)opened the door and let us in.

Their mother was sitting on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. She had self-aborted with a coat hanger with all 4 kids sitting on the floor beside her. We got her to the hospital just in time to save her life.

This was when it was either condoms or rhythm method--there were no pills. You all know what they call women who use the 'rhythm' method...mothers.

The pill is a necessary staple in the world we have now. They should be available and at very low cost/no cost to all women who seek them without hassles.

I've seen the back-alley approach, it ain't good.

Viagra, on the other hand, ought to be quite expensive. ;^)

[Radical Activist]

143. Holy shit.

Now I support coat hanger abortions? We already agree on the issue. Because of HCR, the pill will be more available to more women. I believe that's a good thing.

[Mushroom]

150. Politicizing bodies

leads to tragedy. Can you speculate on when the president will officially end our religious war on women and gays as if they are THE touchstone for American morality? Can the president award them an opt out?

[Mushroom]

144. Female workers

can buy private short-term disability insurance to survive maternity leave. How cool is that.

[Mushroom]

140. How should catholic bishops

classify your birth control?

[quiet.american]

145. Catholic bishops are always going to do what they do because they're Catholic bishops.

Catholic bishops are always going to send letters that are against birth control/sex/you-name-it to the White House. That is not to be confused with Catholic bishops defining government policy under a Democratic Administration. Republican Administration, maybe.

[Mushroom]

169. Yup

because catholic bishops know their place. They know that there is a strong wall dividing church and state and women's taxes don't help pay for the catholic pelvic agenda. What more do women want.

:hurts:

[Fumesucker]

151. It would have been a "government process" if they had approved B/C as preventative..

That wouldn't have been demonized here.

This is just kowtowing to a demographic, the anti-sex, anti-choice, that will never ever vote Democratic in significant numbers.

What strikes _me_ as being remarkably immature is the constant rush to defend every single thing that Obama or his administration does, no matter how indefensible it might be.

[quiet.american]

152. A government study has been commissioned and many are freaking.

As though in the whole history of the government, no study has ever been commissioned in line with government regulations about what can be classified as what.

Studies do already exist but may not meet government criteria in this case.

What has happened? A study has been commissioned.

Catholic bishops have written the White House as they always do.

And people are freaking out to the nth degree.

It's a spectacle.

[Fumesucker]

153. As has been pointed out in the thread multiple times..

Birth control is among the most studied if not the most studied subjects in all of medicine, the tradeoffs are well known.

We all know why the study was announced, to placate a demographic that will never, ever vote Democratic.

Your automatic defense of all things Obama is the spectacle here.

[quiet.american]

158. Are those studies in line with current government protocols and regulations?

Further, "We all know why..." is pure assumption based on assigning the worst motives to the Obama Administration.

If that's where you're starting from, there's no room to ever even consider that "We all know why..." may not be the truth of the matter.

[Fumesucker]

160. This is just a GOTV move by the Obama administration..

Playing games with womens reproductive health will certainly help motivate liberals to vote for Democrats in November, eh?

[quiet.american]

161. You see it one way, I see it another.

I don't view Kathleen Sebelius as being against women's reproductive rights. The author of the post pointed to in the OP made her mind up about the motives of the study and in my view is pushing a rather cynical narrative that has little to recommend it as being the truth of the matter.

[Fumesucker]

162. So you don't see this as a GOTV move by the Obama administration then?

Funny, I think it's going to greatly motivate women (who trend more liberal than men) to vote for Democrats in November.

Yep, liberals will be chomping at the bit to vote for such strong and principled, one could even say fierce, defenders of womens reproductive choices.

[quiet.american]

163. No, I don't see it that way.

I see it as part of the process to implementing HCR, a process which has been going on all year.

[suffragette]

183. You mean like the recent WHO and CDC ones already done

Not to mention the overwhelming amounts of study done by this, the 50 year anniversary of the pill.


http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/unintendedpregnancy/USMEC.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5904a1.htm?s_cid=rr5904a1_eIn June 2008, CDC held a 2-day meeting of eight key partners and U.S. family planning experts to determine the scope of and process for a U.S. adaptation of the WHO MEC. Participants were family planning providers, who also had expertise in conducting research on contraceptive safety and translating research evidence into guidance. WHO guidance is used widely around the world, including in the United States, and contains approximately 1,800 separate recommendations. In most cases, the evidence base would be the same for the U.S. and the WHO recommendation, and---because of the extensive collaboration between WHO and CDC in creating the international guidance---the process for determining the recommendations also would be the same. Therefore, CDC determined that the global guidance also should be the U.S. guidance, except when a compelling reason existed for adaptation, and that CDC would accept the majority of WHO guidance for use in the United States.

During the June 2008 meeting, CDC identified specific WHO recommendations for which a compelling reason existed to consider modification for the United States because of the availability of new scientific evidence or the context in which family planning services are provided in the United States. CDC also identified areas in which WHO guidance was inconsistent with current U.S. practice by contacting numerous professional and service organizations and individual providers. In addition, CDC assessed the need for adding recommendations for medical conditions not currently included in the WHO MEC. Through this process, a list was developed of existing WHO recommendations to consider adapting and new medical conditions to consider adding to the guidance.

A systematic review of the scientific evidence was conducted for each of the WHO recommendations considered for adaptation and for each of the medical conditions considered for addition to the guidance. The purpose of these systematic reviews was to identify direct evidence about the safety of contraceptive method use by women (or men) with selected conditions (e.g., risk for disease progression or other adverse health effects in women with rheumatoid arthritis who use combined oral contraceptives). Information about indirect evidence (e.g., evidence from healthy women or animal studies) or theoretical considerations was obtained when direct evidence was not available. CDC conducted systematic reviews following standard guidelines (3,4), included thorough searches of PubMed and other databases of the scientific literature, and used the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force system to grade the strength and quality of the evidence (5). Each systematic review was peer-reviewed by two or three experts before being used in the adaptation process. These systematic reviews have been submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.


Sonfield cites the government own agencies, studies and history of including contraception as an essential part of family planning preventive care in this policy review:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/13/2/gpr130202.html

[flyarm]

166. ++++ millions of womens vaginas! eom

[flyarm]

180. quote "Your automatic defense of all things Obama is the spectacle here."

you could not be more correct!

Never in my life did I think I would or could see DEMOCRATS DO THIS or make asinine excuses for it!

[flyarm]

165. How's your vagina? Mine has been being politicized my entire life!

58 years, and I am damn fucking sick of it!

[flyarm]

179. easy solution..pull out any number of the hundreds of thousands of studies already done by our

government and politicians!

bullshit is just what it is ..bullshit!

[flyarm]

178. sorry , but this one has been time tested for over 40 years! democrats do not do this!

and to tell us here, that this is a rush to demonise..when do you suggest we do demonise them?? When women can not get their meds prescribed by their doctors?????????? Under their medical insurance policies??

Why the fuck do we need a year study????????

come on ..nothing has been studied more..

nothing!!

Why are our Vagina's being held hostage by politics and a Democratic Administration????????????

Perhaps you are new to this game of politics over your vagina..but it is not new to those of us who have fought this politicization for 40 and + years!

[nadinbrzezinski]

146. Ah ideology blinds to actual science I see

When I die the US will be back in the 19th century if not earlier... serious.

[Name removed]

148. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SoxFan]

186. "Ultrapapists"?

You realize that "papist" is used as a slur by anti-Catholic bigots, right? It's a term used by the Klan and the Orange Order.

[Scurrilous]

187. Anti-Catholic bigotry rears its ugly head.

Fancy that...

[uncommon]

176. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAM.

I am sick to fucking death of my rights being a fucking political GAME. I have a uterus - in order not to be invaded by an unwanted parasite, it needs medication. I need that medication to be covered by insurance.

And politicians need to get the fuck over it.