This is how I feel about the BC debate

[hiding57]

This thread illustrates well why I'm so conflicted over this law in general, I don't think the government should mandate birth control should be free.
However I think that birth control should be free or nearly free to everyone for so many reasons.
And even though I'm against the government mandate in general the actually reason most people want it struck down make me absolutely sick. It's all about controlling women only. The church never give **** about men sleeping around. You never see the trying to make child support more onerous so men have "consequences"

[MamaNae]

Originally Posted by kattayanna_mom I have tricare prime insurance with 3 different copays on presciptions depending on the medication $9,$12 and $24. Some of my meds are cheaper than my daughter's BC,some cost more. So why should everybody have to pay the same copay for BC as someone else does for insulin or blood pressure medication,etc? Does'nt the cost of the copay come down to several things like if the medication is generic or not,price of medication from the maker and things like that?

Oh, I don't think they should pay the same dollar amount copay, I just think they should pay a copay. Whatever their individual, private insurance dictates the copay be on whatever form of medication their taking. Be that $9 for a generic or what have you. My husband is on 16 medications every day. Some of those are $80 every 3 months, some are $6 every 3 months...just depends.

I'd be okay with it being whatever their insurance dictates a copay be...I just 100% do not support it being $0. Not in the slightest.

[kattayanna_mom]

Originally Posted by MamaNae Oh, I don't think they should pay the same dollar amount copay, I just think they should pay a copay. Whatever their individual, private insurance dictates the copay be on whatever form of medication their taking. Be that $9 for a generic or what have you. My husband is on 16 medications every day. Some of those are $80 every 3 months, some are $6 every 3 months...just depends. I'd be okay with it being whatever their insurance dictates a copay be...I just 100% do not support it being $0. Not in the slightest.

Well if I make the 30 min drive to the Military base hospital all of my family(me,Dh and kids meds are free).
My medication alone would be around $2000 a mth without insurance.

[MamaNae]

Originally Posted by kattayanna_mom Well if I make the 30 min drive to the Military base hospital all of my family(me,Dh and kids meds are free). My medication alone would be around $2000 a mth without insurance.

We have ins...

I'm not opposed to ins companies covering it...I'm not opposed to a specific company CHOOSING to provide it for a $0 copay so long as they don't raise other peoples insurance premiums to compensate...I'm just opposed to the government TELLING insurance companies they have to provide 1 specific type of drug for a $0 copay.

I would be willing to bet good money that if this law goes into effect (or when it goes into effect) my ins premiums WILL shoot up through the roof next year because currently our ins only covers a handful of birth control pills and they're a higher tier so the copay is higher. If the copay becomes $0? Our ins premiums will shoot sky high...so we'll likely be paying close to $400 a month for insurance premiums (currently we pay around $300) and we'll still be paying almost $200 for medications...all so women can get their birth control for $0.

My children will suffer. My children will go without. My family will suffer. My family will be forced to decide between food beyond rice & beans or insulin...so that women can have $0 copay for birth control. That pisses me off.

[z2akids]

Originally Posted by MamaNae I'm not opposed to ins companies covering it...I'm not opposed to a specific company CHOOSING to provide it for a $0 copay so long as they don't raise other peoples insurance premiums to compensate...I'm just opposed to the government TELLING insurance companies they have to provide 1 specific type of drug for a $0 copay.

Ultimately, this is my opinion as well.

There are lots of drugs out there for lots of different purposes. Many of them are incredibly important, lifesaving medications that millions of people use on a daily basis. I disagree very strongly with the government choosing one particular class of drug and mandating that every company provide that drug at no direct cost to everyone.

Then the question becomes how far do we go with birth control? I mean, there are plenty of pills out there that have very minimal co-pays or are very inexpensive even for those who do not have insurance. So, do we mandate those? What about people who have undesireable side effects from the older, less expensive HBC? What about the people who claim that they can take the name brand, but not the generic? Do we mandate newer HBC that doesn't yet have a generic? What about people who are not good candidates for birth control pills (people like teens who are not as likely to be compliant with a daily med)? So, should IUDs then be covered with no copay? What about other methods for people who don't want to use hormones? Should BTL be covered 100% with no copay? What about the woman who doesn't want her tubes tied? Should male sterilization also be covered 100%? I mean, where exactly do we end that? Are we also going to mandate appropriate free health care regarding these birth control methods? There are certain methods of birth control in which a woman should have periodic full body scans to determine if she is having bone mass issues.

Regardless of my view on birth control (and that centers around the fact that I believe it to be unconstitutional to mandate that charitable religious organizations provide a med that is opposed to its belief structure), I believe that the government is a terrible entity to get between me and my medical professional. I believe that access to low cost birth control is very important. But, even outside of my personal religious beliefs, I believe that HBC is a terrible option for a good portion of the population. I believe we treat HBC pills like a flinstone vitamin. They are very powerful drugs with some very serious potential adverse effects (including significant bone mass loss, stroke, etc). Do we actually put women at health risk because they can get XYZ pill for free, but that one isn't the best choice for a 16 year old with a family history of HBP. Well, if ABC pill isn't free, but XYZ is, will the teen wind up taking chances with her health because of the free nature of one pill over the other?

[ulawolf]

Originally Posted by MamaNae We have ins... I'm not opposed to ins companies covering it...I'm not opposed to a specific company CHOOSING to provide it for a $0 copay so long as they don't raise other peoples insurance premiums to compensate...I'm just opposed to the government TELLING insurance companies they have to provide 1 specific type of drug for a $0 copay. I would be willing to bet good money that if this law goes into effect (or when it goes into effect) my ins premiums WILL shoot up through the roof next year because currently our ins only covers a handful of birth control pills and they're a higher tier so the copay is higher. If the copay becomes $0? Our ins premiums will shoot sky high...so we'll likely be paying close to $400 a month for insurance premiums (currently we pay around $300) and we'll still be paying almost $200 for medications...all so women can get their birth control for $0. My children will suffer. My children will go without. My family will suffer. My family will be forced to decide between food beyond rice & beans or insulin...so that women can have $0 copay for birth control. That pisses me off.

This bill has changed so much it isnt going to pass as we originally saw it. I also agree the government shouldn't mandate $0 copay bc prescriptions. My larger issue is my government telling me that my employer will have the right to tell me whether i can even choose what bc to be on. Or that my dr has the right to lie to me about tests so that i cannot make informed decisions that has to do with my body. Right now bc is $8 a month for me. I can accept that. Right now i have the right to get my tubes tide because i dont want any more children. I want those same rights for my daughters.

[NATTYBATSMOM]

Originally Posted by Ellasundies I have no problem paying a small copay but paying full price is ridiculous and I think it's even more ridiculous and sexist that policies don't pay for BC but WILL pay for viagra.

THIS, exactly! If birth control can't be free, then neither should Viagra. Hey, not being able to get it up will lower the chances of pregnancy too!

[z2akids]

Originally Posted by NATTYBATSMOM THIS, exactly! If birth control can't be free, then neither should Viagra. Hey, not being able to get it up will lower the chances of pregnancy too!

Where does the government mandate free Viagra?

If an insurance company or pharmacy decides to make a particular drug free, then they do so out of a business decision. Perhaps they think that they will get loyalty from their customers if they give them free Viagra.

I tend to use the pharmacy that charges the least for the prescriptions I use the most. It's purely business.

[NATTYBATSMOM]

Originally Posted by Janine Who pays for what is the least of my worries. What concerns me above and beyond all this insurance stuff is the general attitude of some of the politicians out there. If a politician thinks that women should pay for their own birth control, that is one thing. If a politician is morally-opposed to birth control and feels the need to impose that belief on women, well that is quite another. I find the opinions of the extreme religious right to be far more disturbing than any financial discussion about who should pay the tab for birth control. I feel like I'm witnessing a war on sex in general, and more specifically a war on women. THAT is what I find frightening.

Agree and it's not just the politicians.

Read this not too long ago and I think that's some of what is going on too, there are a lot of women who are focusing more on the "proper" place for women and that's concerning too. Seems like the pendulum is swinging all over the place these days. http://becomingsupermommy.blogspot.c...t-century.html

[MamaNae]

Originally Posted by z2akids Where does the government mandate free Viagra? If an insurance company or pharmacy decides to make a particular drug free, then they do so out of a business decision. Perhaps they think that they will get loyalty from their customers if they give them free Viagra. I tend to use the pharmacy that charges the least for the prescriptions I use the most. It's purely business.

Exactly. Viagra isn't free, typically.

I can't speak for my ins because I don't know 100% for sure, but I'm assuming that Viagra would be covered the exact same as any other name brand medicine...which means it's $40 a month...with my ins. Birth control is the exact same (under my ins) generic is however much % and name brand is $40 a month.