Women should get free birth control, panel says
 

http://www.latimes.com/health/sc-biz...,5339377.story

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**Disclaimer: For the purpose of this National health plan debate, birth control is used primarily for the prevention of pregnancy. We know there are women and girls (I won't rant about that) who use birth control for the prevention of, and to address, other conditions.**

If health and health plans are about prevention, it makes sense that there may be free services for immunizations, cancer screenings, and other services including BIRTH CONTROL. Planned Parenthood and college/university student health services do not cover the majority of the female population in the United States.

What say you, GC?

I know when I was in college, the student health center would perform my yearly physical for a lower fee and because it wasn't covered by the health insurance my parents had-it was cheaper. However, one year, it was absolutely traumatizing and maybe that's TMI, but it was just baaaaaad.

On the other point--free birth control=:D

I think there will be a shit storm, but I hope the HHS takes the recommendation.

Also, I hope that those who are trying to repeal the healthcare law fail (even though the healthcare law is severely flawed).

I am pro this.

Finally!

Jinx/

Tomorrow at 8:00am Elizabeth Hasselback will be on Good Morning America discussing how early is too early to put your daughter on birth control.

/Jinx

As long as the range really is "broad." I don't care what the doctors say - the "same" pill from different manufacturers is not the same pill, and I would hate if women were all just given the same thing whether it suited them or not. Plus, there are women whose physical makeup doesn't make them good candidates for The Pill - ANY forumulation of it.

It would likely just be generics which includes most pill formulations including the one I take which is pretty specialized. The generic just came out last month.

Here's a good example of class/race privilege (and being a stupid guy) - my first thought was "I thought this was already pretty standard?".

Obviously it should be, in places where it isn't already. Ironically, the people most against it will also get riled up about birth rates in the populations they deprive of free contraception.

Meh. Mine doesn't have a generic yet, and I tried 7 pills before I found this one that didn't mess me up too badly. I also went on it for other health reasons long ago. But with my insurance, it's only $10 a month, so I can't complain too much. And if my ovaries weren't so uncooperative I could also get the free pill from student health.

On the whole, however, I think this is a really good idea.

That's good. Just give it time. Usually takes about two to three years for a generic to come out. My problem now is getting my pharmacy to stop sending mine to me. I'm on automatic refill, and I've asked twice to stop refilling them because I am 8 months ahead!:eek: They fill them every two weeks.

Funny how that works.

I'm completely in favor.

This would be amazing. Without Insurance my seasonique pack (which is for three months) was running me $180! So the choices were pay through the butt, or risk having children (that I can't afford, nor do I want). Ugh. Thank god for Planned Parenthood that would give me free sample packs every three months, and for universal healthcare letting me get back on my parents insurance and buy me a few more years.

I used to take that. Hopefully it will be generic soon, too. Argh...earliest expected date is 2023! Try Lybrel. You take it everyday with no break at all. It now has a generic.

I have insurance with no copay so I'm doing all right now. Thanks for the info, though

Throw in free abortions and I won't call this a fascist/corporatist bill anymore (even though it still is)

--As an addendum, I think you're smart enough to know that there is nothing free DrPhil. I mean, maybe you aren't. Just call it as is: Women should get birth control paid for by money stolen from other people, panel says.

Too bad your mother wasn't on effective birth control.

Excellent response!

Embarassing. If you have anything of substance to rebut my statement, go ahead. But you don't, so you resort to silly attacks.

It's embarrassing to all of us that you think the counterpoint is somehow difficult to find.

However, I'll bite - it's simple math: the cost of contraception is likely much, MUCH less of a burden on the average taxpayer than the costs of unwanted children to individuals who cannot (or do not want to) support them.

Sunk costs are still sunk - there is no shame in sinking them more efficiently.

You are the dumbass who thinks the word "free" in this context means that people think unicorns come from the Heavens to shit preventive health services on the masses.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9MrCLXq5ub...-corn_hell.png

/my only contribution

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...fuJWrCLbyaHUGA

The angry taxpayers are cleaning up the unicorn shit, also known as preventive health services, that only an idiot would consider stolen.

LOL! Every penny paid for in preventative health services is very wells spent. Otherwise we can go back to the days when syphillis was rampant like in Henry the VIII's time. Sounds great!

Send it Elephant Walk's way first.

If you're under the conception that the taxpayer should pay for the unwanted children, then yes, you can believe that.

No, I'm operating under the reality that taxpayers already do.

In that scenario (which is, well, reality), any step forward is a good one. You have to disabuse yourself of the notion that only fundamental change is good change, or you'll be a sad panda forever.

"Should" is a stupid word.

I'm confused on how preventative health services wouldn't exist, without public money.

Currently, gobs and gobs of private money goes into preventative care. And it works, better than the governments inefficient system. Why not enhance the private sector over the public, so that citizens are able to choose what to do and not do with their money?

The fact that you think that you have the right to tell anyone what to do with their money is absolutely disgusting. If you believe in limiting that personal freedom, you probably also want to ban gay marriage...at least if you didn't want to be hypocritical.

Because we're not operating in a hypothetical market - we're operating in an actual, defined system, one in which insurance companies have very little incentive to push preventative services (due to consumer, government and market pressures), and one in which their slavish devotion to quarterly earnings trumps the long-term cost benefit of pushing preventative measures anyway.

Since I actually work in the real health system, this whole post is laughable. The fact that you actually think that providing people with preventative health care limits personal freedom gives me a pretty good idea of the level of logic skills you exhibit. I will refrain from getting into a philosophical debate with you about libertarianism. It's all well and good if every person has the same resources and the same belief system, but it quickly becomes deadly when people don't.

Must this thread, of all threads, really turn into yet another GC barking contest?

ROOF! My bark is the loudest.

I thought Elephant Walk was "smart enough" to know all of this. I guess not.

I was looking forward to reading different opinions on this. I welcome those who can express those opinions in a manner different than Elephant Walk.

Uh...do you have something to share about the actual topic? That's the best way to keep a thread on topic.

^^^Sure don't.

Is your bark the loudest? Or is your house the most dry?

Yes, people disagreeing and discussing matters at a moderately high level really takes a dump on a thread, doesn't it?

Take off your moderator pants, put on a pot of tea, and chill out. EW is somewhat one-note, but a lot of times there's an interesting point to discuss underneath the Libertrolling.

Also, it's like the most anti-Feminist thing on Earth to say "this thread, of all threads" - seriously?

;) Darn!

If "house" is code for vagina, you picked the right thread. :)

LOL. This topic is rooted in politics and other stuff so it would be this thread, right?

I wish could be free.
I pay $20 a month bc I'm can't use my insurance for it and sometimes, being still in school with only a part time job, it gets to be too expensive for me and I have to cut out some of my groceries, etc to afford it. Personally, I think my boyfriend (long-term, 5 years) should pitch in every now and then since it's not just me who is not ready for a baby (& he has a full-time job and I don't)

Although I know people who pay more, so I can't complain too much.

I thought at first this said "try Lysol." Would probably work, and would be super cheap...but umm...