Hobby Lobby

[ASTalumna06]

What You Need to Know About the Hobby Lobby Billionaires:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...-billionaires/


First of all, I don't NEED to know anything about them.

“Our family is overjoyed by the Supreme Court’s decision. Today the nation’s highest court has re-affirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country’s founding principles,” said Barbara Green, co-founder of Hobby Lobby. “The court’s decision is a victory, not just for our family business, but for all who seek to live out their faith. We are grateful to God and to those who have supported us on this difficult journey.”

Yes, you're helping people live out their faith… as long as they believe the same things as you. Ugh.

And the irony in her statement about "religious liberty" is so obvious and laughable.

Green’s ambitions are not small in scale. In an interview with Forbes’ Brian Solomon, Green said, “I want to know that I have affected people for eternity. I believe I am. I believe once someone knows Christ as their personal savior, I’ve affected eternity. I matter 10 billion years from now.”

This guy sounds like a rich, fanatical, egotistical d-bag.

[DrPhil]

I hate when people hide behind religion. They partly do that because they think it makes them unable to be questioned and challenged. If someone claims to be driven by--and fulfilling the will of--a higher power, who would question a higher power?

Green should've just said "I wanted to impact society and impact history. This decision is big and instrumental for generations to come."

[DubaiSis]

I was thinking about this a bit today. If the federal government wants universal reproductive health and certain companies don't want to pay for it, couldn't the fed just cover the cost of it for everyone?

The way I'm seeing it, it would solve the problem for this relatively small group of women and get us a step closer to single payer. And that would have the added bonus of driving these rich cheapskates (because really isn't that the true issue?) over the edge and seriously regret their shortsighted argument.

I do know the likelihood of this happening but I'd love to hear the eruption if it was even brought up.

[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.

[DubaiSis]

But as a woman you can't possibly know what is best for you, your health and your reproductive rights. So if some guy tells you the cheap pill is as good as a diaphram, you just need to calm your pretty little head and do what he says.

[33girl]

It's not a man/woman situation. There are plenty of women in the insurance industry pushing these rock bottom plans to businesses that are looking to cut anywhere they can. And there are plenty of women in charge of the benefits/HR departments okaying them and not thinking about it for a minute because it doesn't apply to them.

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.

#sogladtobeout

[DrPhil]

It has to do with the general assumption that women are weaker, less informed, and less capable of making decisions. That ideology fuels the debate over birth control, abortion, and overall resources.

The involvement of women (insurance, benefits/HR, OB/GYN, pharmaceutical rep) simply means it requires both women and men to perpetuate patriarchal and sexist institutional policies and practices.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

It's not a man/woman situation. There are plenty of women in the insurance industry pushing these rock bottom plans to businesses that are looking to cut anywhere they can. And there are plenty of women in charge of the benefits/HR departments okaying them and not thinking about it for a minute because it doesn't apply to them.

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.

#sogladtobeout

What sweet deal do you think OB/GYNs get from Pharmacy reps for prescribing birth control pills? There is no sweet heart deal. They get coffees from Starbucks for their staff on occasion, but reps no longer get to dole out huge perks anymore. Even when pharmaceutical reps could do more, OB/GYNs didn't get money. They may have gotten an occasional free dinner or a trip to a conference if you were extremely lucky, but those days have been gone for 20 years. OB/Gyns are professionals who prescribe medications that they think are medically appropriate for their patients. If someone buying you a Starbucks is enough to get you to prescribe BCPs for all your patients, it must be the best drug on earth or the best coffee ever.

[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?