White House compromise still guarantees contraceptive coverage for women

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Washington Post:

Seeking to allay the concerns of Catholic leaders and head off an escalating political storm, President Obama on Friday announced an adjustment to the administration’s health-care rule requiring religiously affiliated employers to provide contraceptive coverage to women.

Women still will be guaranteed coverage for contraceptive services without any out-of-pocket cost, but will have to seek the coverage directly from their insurance companies if their employers object to birth control on religious grounds.

Religiously-affiliated non-profit employers such as schools, charities, universities, and hospitals will be able to provide their workers with plans that exclude such coverage. However, the insurance companies that provide the plans will have to offer those workers the opportunity to obtain additional contraceptive coverage directly, at no additional charge.

Churches remain exempt from the birth-control coverage requirement. And their workers will not have the option of obtaining separate contraceptive coverage under the new arrangement.

The administration’s decision to make an adjustment reflected the high political stakes of an issue that had generated intense criticism in recent days from a growing chorus of Catholic and Republicans leaders, as well as some Democrats. In Congress and on the campaign trail, leading Republicans attacked the Obama administration’s position as a war on religion.

In an appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama said he instructed aides to craft a solution quickly in the wake of the outcry.

“After many genuine concerns were raised over the last few weeks — and the more cynical desire to make this into political football — it became clear that spending months hammering out a solution was not an option; we had to move this faster,” Obama said, flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, whose agency is administering the rule.

“I’ve been confident from the start we could work out a sensible approach here,” the president added. “Some folks in Washington may want to treat this as another political wedge issue, but it shouldn’t be. I never saw it that way. It’s people with goodwill on both sides of the debate sorting through a complicated issue to find a solution that works for everyone. Today’s announcement has done that.”

________

 

Obama backs down?

[Rokke]

From everything I've read, he not only didn't back down. He made things worse. Basically shuffled the deck and pulled out two more hidden face cards hoping no one would notice. I think they're noticing though.

[pollyannaish]

Well if the response from my very leftist friends is any indication they feel that "Obama punked the GOP."

 

So I'd say if it is a compromise, only one side sees it that way.

[Rokke]

Or neither. The right doesn't see it that way, and apparently neither does the left. I don't think the problem is going away. In fact, I think he just made the right even more angry.

[pollyannaish]

Well granted, I haven't looked into this closely...but one thing struck me:

 

What the heck is the difference between a woman buying additional insurance to pay for contraceptives and just paying cash for them?

 

I mean, isn't that just the obvious solution if you work for an institution that doesn't provide it on moral grounds or any other?

 

We've really, really lost our way on the entire health insurance debate.

[clearvision]

Yes we really need to make basic medical care (checkups, sniffles, general pills) out of pocket and insurance only for major stuff. The prices of basic medical care will plummet when people don't rush to the doctor for every sneeze or to get prescription pain killer instead of the over the counter version cause its free..

[Rokke]

Well granted, I haven't looked into this closely...but one thing struck me:

 

What the heck is the difference between a woman buying additional insurance to pay for contraceptives and just paying cash for them?

 

I mean, isn't that just the obvious solution if you work for an institution that doesn't provide it on moral grounds or any other?

 

We've really, really lost our way on the entire health insurance debate.

 

Here's a response from the good guys...

 

http://www.foxnews.com/interactive/politics/2012/02/10/statement-by-religious-scholars-on-contraceptive-coverage-policy-change/

[pollyannaish]

Yes we really need to make basic medical care (checkups, sniffles, general pills) out of pocket and insurance only for major stuff. The prices of basic medical care will plummet when people don't rush to the doctor for every sneeze or to get prescription pain killer instead of the over the counter version cause its free..

 

Exactly. In working for the Ophthalmologist, I was stunned at how many people spend hundreds of dollars for help with "dry eye" symptoms. Now, there are people for which this is a real problem, but for most people it requires over the counter drops a few times a day. (Not Visine, but Refresh or something like that.) If we have time to sit around and worry about how dry our eyes feel all day...we are way, way too pampered.

 

I kept wondering if some of the repeat business would do a better job of using drops if they had to pay for the appointments.

[pollyannaish]

 

Here's a response from the good guys...

 

http://www.foxnews.c...-policy-change/

It is no answer to respond that the religious employers are not “paying” for this aspect of the insurance coverage. For one thing, it is unrealistic to suggest that insurance companies will notpass the costs of these additional services on to the purchasers.

 

Yep, the crux of the issue. It is amazing to me how little people understand about how insurance works. Well, the Obama admin understands it of course, they are just counting on everyone else not to.

 

These are the same people, of course, that spend a great deal of time and money to make sure that their 401K is invested in only "Green Stocks" because they don't want to inadvertently support the destruction of earth's climate.

[Rheo]

The companies are still the one that have to pay the premiums for the insured for the "Free Right".

[pollyannaish]

Exactly @Rheo.

[Chickadee]

The law requiring insurance companies to cover birth control was passed in the last month of Clinton’s admin, I believe. And I also believe even GW’s admin did not try to get that law changed. Now that the law has been brought to the forefront for some reason (included in Obamacare), Obama has decided that “women have struggled to afford it.”

 

This item from Obama's speech also bothered me (in addition to almost everything he said). His statement was that “Nearly 99 percent of all women have relied on contraception at some point in their lives –- 99 percent.” And then he said, “And yet, more than half of all women between the ages of 18 and 34 have struggled to afford it.”

 

Condom use is #1 on the list for methods of contraception. Since when does the woman pay for the condom? And no matter, how EXPENSIVE can that form of contraception be? So I feel Obama’s statement is purposely inflammatory. (Let’s just appeal to all those struggling women!)

 

Here is a graphic from (liberal) motherjones.com (’Contraceptive methods used by American women ages 15–44 who have had sex (2006-2008)’)

Seems to me methods 1, 3, 4, and 5 would not require insurance coverage to help women “afford” contraception. The inference that 45% of women have struggled to afford contraception, and require help by having it covered through insurance, just bugs me. I find it totally misleading! So what else is new?

 

/rant

 

PS: I require expensive shampoo to keep the hair in my head. I struggle, on my fixed income, to afford this shampoo. Shouldn't my insurance company be required to cover that for me? It is health related and I am just a poor retiree . . .

[pollyannaish]

Excellent Rant @Chickadee!

 

I struggle to keep good quality healthy food on our table. Everyone knows that eating poorly contributes to poor health. I think my health plan should cover fruits and vegetables too! And a personal trainer as well.

[Valin]

The companies are still the one that have to pay the premiums for the insured for the "Free Right".

 

And of course they won't pass the cost on to the customer, in this case The Catholic Church.

[Valin]

Excellent Rant @Chickadee!

 

I struggle to keep good quality healthy food on our table. Everyone knows that eating poorly contributes to poor health. I think my health plan should cover fruits and vegetables too! And a personal trainer as well.

 

For goodness sake Polly, Don't Give Them Any Ideas!

[NCTexan]

@Chickadee

 

Great rant and interesting stats!

 

However Mother Jones left off one method that works every time it's tried... and is the least expensive of the lot.

 

"Keep your panties up and your knees tightly together."

 

Come to think of it... that may not be used enough these days to make the list.

[Evad]

According to the great prognosticator, this is a prime example of the "false premise".

We accept that he had the right to do what he did in the first place, which he DID NOT.

Then we accept the fact that he has the right to compromise on his illegal activity which of course, he does not.

 

And this is how liberalism/marxism/communism marches on.

It's all based on a sequence of false premises.

[Valin]

U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops: Obama's Revised Contraception and Abortion Pill Mandate 'Unacceptable'

JOHN MCCORMACK

7:49 PM, Feb 10, 2012

 

We just received information about this proposal for the first time this morning; we were not consulted in advance," the United States Council of Catholic Bishops announce in a statement released Friday evening. The bishops say that the "the law and remains a grave moral concern" and is "unacceptable."

 

Here's the full statement:

 

(Snip)

 

 

We will therefore continue—with no less vigor, no less sense of urgency—our efforts to correct this problem through the other two branches of government. For example, we renew our call on Congress to pass, and the Administration to sign, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act. And we renew our call to the Catholic faithful, and to all our fellow Americans, to join together in this effort to protect religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all.