Hobby Lobby

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by 33girl

The problem is a BC that works for you may not be covered. That's already a problem, actually. Anyone who says the generic are as good as the brand (at least in this area) is full of shit.

Tell me about it. My GMIL suffered from high blood pressure, and she had to take a specific name-brand drug. The generic did NOT work. She was admitted to the hospital, and she and MIL were told that Medicare wouldn't cover the name brand unless the generic didn't work. After a couple of days of taking the generic, her BP spiked (duh), and she was switched back to the name brand. Then she went into rehab and got the same runaround - Medicare won't cover the name brand, she took the generic, her BP spiked, she was switched back to the name brand. Then she was re-admitted to the hospital - same story yet again, even though it was the SAME hospital and the doctors already knew the generic wouldn't work. Ugh.

Originally Posted by 33girl

And don't get me started on the OB/GYNs (both male and female) who push BC pills or methods that might suck for a patient, but who are getting a sweet deal from the pharmaceutical rep.

It's not just the OB/GYNs. The reps think they can buy off the doctors (of any specialty) in a practice or a hospital for the price of providing some free bagels for the doctors' morning meeting.

[SigKapSweetie]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

It's not just the OB/GYNs. The reps think they can buy off the doctors (of any specialty) in a practice or a hospital for the price of providing some free bagels for the doctors' morning meeting.

But...do patients really think this impacts our decision making? The free bagels are a great way to hold my attention for five minutes while a rep tells me about a new drug I might not have heard of yet, and if I have patients who would benefit from that drug, then that's great. On the other hand, if you think that as your doctor I'm either stupid enough or unethical enough to be swayed into giving you an inappropriate medication because a rep offered me coffee or bagels, instead of using my decade of medical education to make clinically sound decisions, shouldn't you find another doctor?

(I realize the federal government thinks we are too incompetent to be trusted with anything provided by a pharmaceutical company, lest it sway us into becoming slaves to Big Pharma because we were given a pen with a drug name on it. The federal government also runs the VA, and we all saw how that turned out.)

[ASTalumna06]

5 myths about the Hobby Lobby case, debunked:

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hobby-lob...myths-debunked

[ASTalumna06]

So here's a question: Maybe I'm missing something, but considering these "closely-held" companies now have the ability to make decisions regarding insurance coverage based on their religious beliefs, could a "closely-held" (wow, I hate that term) insurance company decide not to cover birth control for anyone who applies?

I understand there's a difference, in that Hobby Lobby is purchasing insurance for their employees, while insurance companies are providing insurance for their clients, but would they have an argument in this regard?

[33girl]

I'm glad no one else has had to deal with a patriarchal jackass of a doctor who refused to put them on a different bc even when I told him what he did wasn't working, and when I asked about something that had worked for me in the past, refused to give me that drug by brand name and only offered the Ortho version. Sounds like bullshit to me.

Don't even with me today on doctors and meds and insurance and men in general, because today sure as flying monkeys is not the day.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm glad no one else has had to deal with a patriarchal jackass of a doctor who refused to put them on a different bc even when I told him what he did wasn't working, and when I asked about something that had worked for me in the past, refused to give me that drug by brand name and only offered the Ortho version. Sounds like bullshit to me.

Don't even with me today on doctors and meds and insurance and men in general, because today sure as flying monkeys is not the day.

Sorry you had an issue with your doctor. Realize that he may have had an issue with the pill you were suggesting and liked Ortho pills from experience. Ortho is the most commonly used pill on the market and is well liked by many MDs because it's a good pill. Most OB-Gyns won't switch pills at all until you've been on a therapy for 3 months. Maybe he had stock in Ortho and really liked to use them, but it would be really unusual for a physician to use only one drug because of perks from a pharmaceutical rep. Not everything is a conspiracy.

[WhiteRose1912]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I'm glad no one else has had to deal with a patriarchal jackass of a doctor who refused to put them on a different bc even when I told him what he did wasn't working, and when I asked about something that had worked for me in the past, refused to give me that drug by brand name and only offered the Ortho version. Sounds like bullshit to me.

Don't even with me today on doctors and meds and insurance and men in general, because today sure as flying monkeys is not the day.

This is going to be a little scattered but your post gave me a lot of feelings and I want to get 'em out there.

As a broke undergrad, it was determined that I needed to be put on BC for medical reasons. I found BC that worked for me after some trial and error, but didn't have insurance so it cost me a little over $80 a month. Every time I went to pick it up, the pharmacy tech would raise one of his/her eyebrows at me and say, "This is expensive. You don't have any prescription insurance? No? ...are you sure?" Yes, I'm sure, give me my damn medicine and let me go back home to my water and ramen noodle diet.

After I married my (now ex-) husband, all of my medical decisions went through a jackass doctor at the AFB who would not take anything I said seriously. I had to beg him for referrals and his dismissive attitude was maddening. (Without fail, I'd go to a specialist that Dr. Jackass insisted would have me laughed out of the building for my non-issues, only for the specialist to ask me why didn't I come in to get this serious issue taken care of years ago?! I hate you, Dr. Jackass.) He didn't like the expensive BC I was on and insisted I go on this generic cheapo version of a completely different brand that Tricare liked much better. It was free, but it also meant I got to have my period for an entire month at a time. Just what everyone wants to deal with, right? He didn't care. Not only did I get "patriarchal bullshit" from him, but I was also looked down on for being young and civilian. He honestly seemed to think that I was stupid and hysterical.

After the divorce and the passage of the ACA, I was finally able to get insurance and find a doctor who would take me and my concerns seriously. Hello, anti-anxiety meds. Hello, sleep aids. Hello, BC that works and costs me $0. Goodbye, having to go to the ER for medical care. Hello, immeasurably improved quality of life.

Since Hobby Lobby offers insurance to its employees that meets minimum standards, if a woman opts to go for a marketplace plan in order to have coverage for her IUD (which is not affordable under HL's pay and not covered under HL's insurance), she will not be eligible for discount programs that she would otherwise be eligible for due to her income. I have almost $200/month taken off of my insurance cost. It would not be affordable otherwise.

I feel for these people, I really do. Where I'm from, the unemployment rate is right around 25%, and HL is one of the employers. When I lived there, I was underqualified to work at WalMart because EVERY job is competitive. Quitting is not an option. What are they supposed to do?