photo: https://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/when-a-liberal-says-birth-control-is-not-my-bosss-business-show-them-this
article: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/09/22/birth-control-should-be-none-of-your-boss-business
Summary: In today's society, women face many different struggles. But, one of them should not be taking care of their own body and obtaining birth control. For a women to receive a pack of birth control pills not only does she and the pharmacist have to know, but her employer, her doctor, and a health insurance worker have to know.
Not only is this causing problems for the women receiving birth control due to her employers health care, but it is also causing problems for the people who find receiving birth control is against their morals. Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns, is currently petitioning to be exempt from the current Affordable Care Act's requirement for topnotch birth control. People who do not need birth control or do not want control should not be subjected to the cost of it.
No matter the changes of health care, employees are still going to seek out health care from their employers. It is more affordable and there are tax break. Yet the requirement for businesses to provide health care or pay a lofty find is ridiculous. Businesses should have the choice to provide health care, birth control included or not.
Birth control, in fact, would be cheaper if we just make it an over-the-counter drug instead. Making it an over-the-counter drug will increase competition between birth control businesses, forcing them to reduce their prices in order to stay "in the game" and continue to make a profit and in turn make it more affordable to the masses. It also cuts out the middle man and makes obtaining birth control easier.
Questions: Should birth control continue to be a necessary part of Obamacare? Why or why not? If you believe that it should not be a part of health insurance, should it become an over-the-counter drug? Why or why not? And if you do believe that it should continue to be a part of health insurance, do you believe it should also be available to receive it without going through the hassle of getting a prescription?
I do think that if women want birth control they should be able to get it through Obamacare. Birth control can be used for many things, including regulating one's period, and just because many religious groups don't believe in it doesn't make it unnecessary. If it wasn't provided by someone's health insurance the next best thing would be the over-the-counter option. Women should have the option to pay less for medication they need, and if competition between brands helps decrease the price it should be over-the-counter. We should encourage people to practice safe sex with condoms and birth control, and making birth control hard to obtain is doing the opposite, this is why maybe people shouldn't need a prescription.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Rose, birth control should be included within Obamacare. Having access to birth control is such an important thing for women. Birth control prevents unwanted pregnancies which in turn decreases the amount of abortions. It is also used to regulate one's period, help with acne, and control hormone levels in some cases. These are only a few of the reasons but there are so many more. Also, I feel like birth control should be both accessible through one's health insurance and accessible over the counter if possible. If women can get the morning after pill from the rack, then they should very well be able to purchase birth control without having their employers etc know.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it is necessary for birth control to be a part of Obamacare, because if it becomes an over-the-counter drug, then it still helps women have access to it easily. And, as Rose said, birth control is used for other purposes, not just preventing pregnancy, so all women should have access to it. Selling birth control over-the-counter would not only make it easily accessible, it would make it more affordable. So if women didn't need a prescription to get it, it would eliminate the need for it to be a necessary part of Obamacare. I also agree with Nidhi; if "Plan B" is sold over-the-counter, birth control should be too.
ReplyDeleteThe Hobby Lobby decision illustrates the controversy over birth control & there are cases currently pending concerning the need for companies to explicitly request to opt out of the contraception requirement of Obamacare. I can speak personally that men very often struggle to understand this issue, so I won't speak anymore, but to say you make a compelling argument.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe birth control should be an over the counter drug. Although not every one uses it, the price for it is not expensive. Birth control should be available to all women who need it and should not be looked down upon. Healthcare should provide birth control. Birth control is controversial, but if someone does not want it, they do not have to get it and should not care if others have it. It is not any one else's business who gets birth control or not. Businesses should not have a say whether someone can have birth control or not. Birth control should be provided with healthcare, but i suppose providing it over the counter would be fine as long as it is still a part of health insurance as well.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe birth control should be an over the counter drug. Although not every one uses it, the price for it is not expensive. Birth control should be available to all women who need it and should not be looked down upon. Healthcare should provide birth control. Birth control is controversial, but if someone does not want it, they do not have to get it and should not care if others have it. It is not any one else's business who gets birth control or not. Businesses should not have a say whether someone can have birth control or not. Birth control should be provided with healthcare, but i suppose providing it over the counter would be fine as long as it is still a part of health insurance as well.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that birth control should be a part f Obamacare because that limits people from obtaining it. For example, some people do not have insurance and due to this, they will not be able to obtain birth control. I think the solution to this is making birth control is an over the counter drug. This allows women to have more freedom and privacy of their bodies. Making birth control over the counter allows women who cannot afford insurance an opportunity to gain more control over their bodies.
ReplyDeleteThe struggle for women to obtain fair service of healthcare is completely legitiment and the fact that birth control is an over the counter drug, strongly upsets me. Pregnacy is a part of a woman's body, ergo they have a right to control it. Similar to advil, or ibuprofin. Im trying to say that if someone has a headache they don't need a perscription to get rid of it. Similar to a birth control. Its not anyones business if a female decides they want it. It's their choice. It is up to insurence companies if they wish to incorporate this in their policies.
ReplyDeleteI believe that birth control should be an over the counter drug not part of Obama Care. Birth control should be a personal private decision not controlled by the government. If people can buy condoms over the counter they should also be able to buy birth control. And if it makes birth control more available the it is a no brainier. Our current systems makes it hard for many to get birth control which itself shows the system is flawed.
ReplyDeleteWomen have had trouble finding ways to obtain birth control since it's creation. Askiing employers to pay for birth control is a controversial issue though. I believe if a company has little to no maternity leave than they should be held accountable at the very least to pay for contraceptives. That being said men have no idea of the importance of this issue for women on a personal level so those ideas should also be taken into account
ReplyDeleteWomen have had trouble finding ways to obtain birth control since it's creation. Askiing employers to pay for birth control is a controversial issue though. I believe if a company has little to no maternity leave than they should be held accountable at the very least to pay for contraceptives. That being said men have no idea of the importance of this issue for women on a personal level so those ideas should also be taken into account
ReplyDeleteAlthough it would be a lot simpler for birth control to be simply an over-the-counter drug, and certainly within the means of most women to buy, having it provided by the Affordable care Act makes it free to whoever needs it. This most directly benefits lower income women who might not be otherwise able to afford them, but perhaps need them the most. While having it go through Obamacare insurance provides this essential service, having the requirement that the employer, doctor and health insurance worker have knowledge of obtaining birth control pills is overkill. Meanwhile it can stigmatize certain women who may not want others to know about all the details of their personal lives. Therefore, a midway solution has to become available where perhaps those who have the means can freely purchase the pills and those who are on Obamacare are allowed to have more discretion with regards to their personal choices.
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ReplyDeletePersonally, I do believe that birth-control should be a part of Obamacare. In this day and age, Women should have access to birth control, as it is important for their health and safety. However, I do believe that a prescription should be needed. Many medical drugs require a prescription before one is able to obtain them. Birth control should be no exception.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noah, birth-control is very important and must be readily available. It is to dangerous to make it over the counter but it should be easy to obtain a prescription. The employer shouldn't know but if it's on the healthcare then there is no way of him not knowing about it. If he's paying for it, then he knows. You can try to be discreet but I don't know if it's possible.
ReplyDeleteI believe that birth control should be made publicly available and be put on insurance plans. It is something that is necessary for many people for all sorts of reasons besides preventing pregnancy. This medication should be easily accessible and available to anybody who might need it.
ReplyDeleteNo one should be ashamed of taking birth control. As Rose pointed out above, birth control can be used for many things, not only as a contraceptive. I believe that it isn't necessary to be a part of Obamacare but it is also un-necessary to take it out. However, I believe that it should stay prescribed by a doctor because the person taking the pill may experience side effects.
ReplyDeleteWhile I believe that birth control should remain a part of ObamaCare, I don't necessarily believe it should be over the counter. Any consumed medication can be very dangerous. Birth control in particular can cause strong hormonal changes, and could be potentially detrimental to the patient. I think the most effective solution is to continue requiring a medical prescription in order to obtain birth control
ReplyDeleteI believe that birth control should not be included under Obama care. Women should be able to obtain and get their own birth control without a bunch of people knowing. Its not only respectful for women to receive birth control in private, its morally correct. If their religion doesn't support or their families don't support them having sex then they should be allowed to do so in private, the way it is now everyone has to know about it.
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