The apologists are busy running around trying to plug all the leaks in the unity boat arising from the Stupak amendment last evening which was followed by the subsequent passage of the final bill. The meme is that the Stupak amendment merely continues the “status quo.” No. It. Does. Not. Here is the Stupak amendment.
“No funds authorized or appropriated by this act (or any amendment made by this act) may be used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion, except in the case where a woman suffers from, a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, or unless the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest.”
As noted by Jon Walker at Firedog Lake:
The Stupak amendment would effectively ban insurance companies from selling insurance plans that cover elective abortion on the individual and small group market. It would be one of the most far reaching national restriction placed on abortion in decades. It could also potential be used by insurance companies to allow them to legally discriminate against low income Americans.
Abortion would be the only legal medical procedure that the bill would ban insurance companies from covering. Abortion will be the only legal medical procedure the bill will officially “ration.” By voting for the amendment, 64 Democrats and all but one Republican voted to put a government bureaucrat between you, your insurance provider, and your doctor. If you choose to have an abortion, your doctor is willing to refer the procedure, and your insurance provider is willing to pay for the procedure, this amendment will have a government bureaucrat prevent that from happening. For all the talk about small government, these representatives are more than happy to give the government more power as long as it is used to restrict a woman’s right to choose.
Yet, that is not the worst of it. While the bill contains provisions that spell out mandatory care that must be covered by insurance, several items are missing, and they all deal with women’s basic health needs. Sharon Lerner over at The Nation breaks it down:
But just as the prognosis for our healthcare system is beginning to look sunnier, yet another complication has emerged: so far, reform legislation has failed to require insurers to cover some basic preventive services for women, or prevent providers from charging extra for them.
None of the bills emerging from the House and Senate require insurers to cover all the elements of a standard gynecological “well visit,” leaving essential care such as pelvic exams, domestic violence screening, counseling about sexually transmitted diseases, and, perhaps most startlingly, the provision of birth control off the list of basic benefits all insurers must cover. Nor are these services protected from “cost sharing,” which means that, depending on what’s in the bill that emerges from the Senate, and, later, the contents of a final bill, women could wind up having to pay for some of these services out of their own pockets. So far, mammograms and Pap tests are covered in every version of the legislation.
Granted, Congress can’t–and shouldn’t–get into the business of spelling out every possible cause for a trip to the doctor. No one wants the process to collapse under a mountain of requests from special interest groups à la the Clinton mess in 1993. But women, half of all adult patients, are not a special interest group. And since both the House and Senate bills include lists of specific services that must be covered by health insurance companies and be provided without asking patients for additional money, it’s hard to understand why all the services provided in a basic well-woman visit to the gynecologist isn’t on them along with maternity care, newborn care, pediatric dental and vision services, and substance use disorder services.
There’s a pattern here yet the kool-aid folks are still too blind to see it. They’re busy hoorahing it up as a “Historic victory” for their “Historic President.” I’m flat-out disgusted.
Just what have women gained? Mandatory payments to private insurance carriers that don’t cover their gender-related needs? Whatever happened to the Equal Protection Clause? The Civil Rights Act? Aren’t these issues specific to our gender that are being blatantly excluded? Are we supposed to just swallow hard and be happy for everyone else while we continue to be the sacrificial lambs?
The other pssst rumor being passed around is that Obama has promised that the Stupak amendment will be gone from the final bill. Oh really? And just how is that going to happen when the Senate bill is even worse than the House bill? Also, where are his assurances that mandated coverage for basic women’s healthcare needs will be ADDED to any final bill? Right…{{{crickets}}}. Even more outrageous is the idea that both parties are discussing coverage of “prayer treatments” while basic reproductive care is off limits.
In 2008 we were told that we HAD to vote for the Democrats because they were the only party that cared about our reproductive rights and that they were the defenders of women’s rights and choice. It is outlined in the DNC platform.
We oppose the current Administration’s consistent attempts to undermine a woman’s ability to make her own life choices and obtain reproductive health care, including birth control. We will end health insurance discrimination against contraception and provide compassionate care to rape victims. We will never put ideology above women’s health.
Yet last night, these same pols chose to throw more than half of our country’s population under the bus.
Next time any feels compelled to lecture me with the “no where else to go” routine, save your breath. Last night was the last straw.
And lest anyone need an education on what a real advocate for women’s reproductive healthcare looks like, please watch this video (h/t to quixote).
digg!!! tweet!!! share (the OUTRAGE)!!!
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Furl | Newsvine
Filed under: General
Great SoD: this really needed to be said!!!
I’m so sick of the “oh well” shoulder-shrugging apologists.
Dems to the laydeez: “You got got.”
I would rather see no health care legislation at all than this POS. And getting otherwise fairly liberal folks (like me) to think that way is, I suspect, not a bug, but a feature.
The other possibility, of course, is that the Dems really could f*ck up a one car parade. I’m not ruling that out either.
No more lesser of evils.
Get the idea of a third party out there.
Get your family, friends and co-workers to start thinking about the fact there has to be a better choice.
Come to think of it someone with ad skills should that that statement and build a campaign around it.
Democrats? Republicans? There Has To Be A Better Choice!
Put it on a bumper sticker.
know it’s a lie, but I love how the big excuse is “we’re maintaining the status quo.” But what about the CHANGE? Ted Kennedy told me there was going to be “CHAAAANGE in the air.” In fact, all the Congressional superdelegates told us that. So claiming, falsely, you’re maintaining the status quo is okay? The status quo sucks, that’s why people didn’t vote for McCain!!!
I can smell what’s in the air, they can label it whatever they want to but like SoD sez … we know what it smells like
Yes, if the Democrats would be true to their promises, they would remove barriers to choice, not throw them up everywhere.
Our choices are “we will screw you worse than the Republicans” or “we will maintain the status quo and only screw you as much as the Republicans.” A looks pretty bad, so we should be grateful for B. What an inspiring message of hope.
Only thing congressional Democrats are true to is their wallets.
Given up women rights to reach a compromise – well, why not sell your grandmother? Oh yeah – we already had that one – well she was typical white person -no great loss there!!
It is getting cramped under the bus – women, gays etc. If he goes on with this speed there is nobody left by 2012 who is not under the bus!
How about:
Tired of being sold out for bi-partisanship?
Tired of coming in second to Wall Street?
Tired of the lesser evil?
Why not a better choice?
Why not a better choice?
sounds really good.
or simply:
Democrats – Republicans:There’s got to be a better choice!
Americans Need A Better Choice
No worse than the Status Quo…
And yet when the Frat Boy Tag Team of Edwars and Obama were calling Hillary the status quo it was the scariest thing ever, so scary that Democrats might not vote for her if she were the nominee.
incorrectly calling her the status quo to boot, since there is no way a President Hillary Clinton could have called a health Deform with Sepsis Amendment a piece of historic legislation… first of all she wouldn’t have stood for it, and second of all, Democrats would have held her feet to the fire.
Yes, and they made sure the “obstacle” in a pantsuit was removed from the ability to stand up for women everywhere.
Yes
The anger of women has been building in the last years. Use it wisely . Don’t get mad , get more.
The dems have shown their hatred and contempt for women more openly in the last year.
We no longer believe the lies. This is one black eye or broken bone too many.
Women have to walk away but not empty handed. Make sure every coathanger dem pays with their job. Let them wait in the unemployment line.
For too many years, we have talked but not really acted. We believed the lies and accepted being second class citiizens.
That has to end now today.
Just as May 31,2008 was a turning point, November 7,2009 has to be remembered as the day the democrats declared war on women.
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
Amen Helen. Amen
What helenk said! Exactly!
How many outside of the anti Coat Hanger Dem blogs know what happened yesterday?
They are too busy coping with making ends meet in an economy going down the toilet to care.
Your job is to make them realize what happened yesterday and the state of their wallet is connected by a party no longer in touch with its base.
Tell them they don’t have to knock on doors or send off letters that their Senators and Representative will wipe their butts with.
Just tell them to think about a better choice and to ask their friends to do the same.
That’s why we need to mount a campaign of informing everyone we know and asking them to inform at least 10 people each, and them to inform 10 each, etc.
Perhaps we need a Million Woman March on Washington!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6xBaZ92uA
Sounds familiar don’t it?
We’ll strip the Stupak amendment out, I promise!
LOL! perfect. “Wimpy” as a metaphor for the Democrats. Tooooo perfect.
Works on a couple of levels.
Obama will take it out, all right. You don’t know how soul sucking it is to feel the angry stare of Chris Bowers boring into you across a pyramid of organic tangelos. Obama will do anything rather than face that.
This is how the Dems went about healthcare reform
2008: Here’s this yummy huge cake for everybody! Vote for us! Send us your money! We’ll get everybody their fair slice!
2009: After people gave them the money and the votes, the Democrats drop the cake on purpose so that it falls apart. They then dangle the hope of being forced to purchase our very own delicious, unaffordable crumb of a delicious doubleplusgood cake which all bakeries will be required to provide now that the Democrats are forcing people to buy from these overpriced bakeries. There will also be a public slice of bread baked by the government’s negotiated rates with the bakeries, a public slice which most Americans won’t even be able to get a crumb from. And, women will have to pay out of their own pocket for the glass of milk that they need to get any calcium. But, not to worry, God coming to bless each and every baked bite is covered. And, of course, the best part of all, no more preconditions on whether the bakery will take your money or not.
An apt “let em eat cake” allegory. Dropped the cake they did.
Great analogy…or, the greatest analogy?
Well – I am not really a facebook person and joined only recently to see some photos from a vacation…but , hey this is a great opportunity to spread the word abt this disaster…so, if you are on facebook….get on it and spread the outrage!!
oh, I spread it widely, believe me …
there is rarely anything so urgent that i feel spreading it via facebook- but this is surely the effort worth!
I did so this morning.
Oh, I have been!
Can I just add: What about the public option? Because there IS no public option, either robust or otherwise. I did a quick read-through of the bill this morning and let me tell you what I found: an “insurance exchange”. That’s right, boys and girls, all the Dems have done is to create a high risk insurance pool.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but, as far as I can see, while the insurance exchange has limits on what participants can be charged “out of pocket”, depending on income level, there is no limit on the premium amount that can be charged. So that’s an improvement how?
There is also absolutely nothing in the bill about medical cost containment. Finally, eliminating the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage)? Well, that also doesn’t kick in for years: only a small percentage changes each year until 2020, when the hole finally is filled. That’s 11 years from now!!
We would have been temporarily better off if Congress had just told the insurance companies no more anti-trust exemptions, no more recissions, and no more pre-existing conditions. Then, like every other civilized nation in the world, we could have begun work on UHC.
there are no upper limits on premium costs, just limits on how much can be charged in addition for factors like age (I think it’s 5X). As for the “public option” in the House bill it’s one of the plans available in the exchange.
I didn’t see anything about a public option being part of the exchange. Perhaps you could direct me to the section of the bill where it establishes a government entity, like Medicare, to whom the doctor submits request for payment? I can’t believe any insurance company would be participating in the exchange if it had to compete with a government entity.
BTW, the age limit factor is 2:1, but I still don’t recall seeing any other limit on what premiums could be charged by exchange insurance companies.
I don’t think it is “a government entity, like Medicare.” It’s more like the FEBH plans where the gov’t negotiates the rates, but it’s still administered by the gov’t. I’ve posted the infor before — let me find it.
The Senate bill has age at a 5:1 ratio not the House
Page 211 is where the info starts on the “public option”
http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf
Thanks! I was just reading the House bill.
Just got an email from Taylor Marsh, of all people, about the 64 Coat Hanger Dems. I must have signed up when she was in the Hillary camp.
She must be in kool-ade detox.
nah, she’s in no body reads my blog and I need to be relevant again mode, I think …
Just so. Taylor Marsh is the Joe Lieberman of the blogosphere–a real attention hound.
Yeah Mike, I got the same email. While I appreciated the oasis her blog provided before HRC dropped out, once that happened, she turned into a wild-eyed Obamabot, after promising that she would “hold his feet to the fire.” Yeah. Right.
http://www.dailytopseven.com/readmore.php?newsid=Nzcx
Now the spin is that it is the constitution that the government can force you to buy health care.
How many obots will buy that bs?
I think I just got what they are trying to do. If you do not buy the bad product you go to jail. If all those who can not afford to buy the bad product go to jail, you will need more jails. This creates more building jobs. And people with no jobs or insurance are in jail and get health care and 3 hots and a cot.
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE, MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
Funny that’s the same argument that the anti-reform people are using. Single payer, public options and mandates are unconstitutional under the 10 amendment I think. something about powers not delegated.
If you are in jail you get free health care!
Great post SoD! Now we know why the born agains were out canvassing for Obama during the primaries and general election. It looks like he kept his promises to them.
It is getting late here in London. As bad as the news is, lets not forget that tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Truely a day worth to remember and celebrate!!
I still remember where I was when I heard that. I sat down and cried. We boomers, who were brought up with the constant threat of nuclear war, thought we’d be in a cold war state for the rest of our lives. It was truly a momentous moment.
I think also for any European it is an big day and I started crying as well. I thought I never would see the day the wall came down – and I was only 20 then!!
There abt three days I will always remember and where I was
9 Nov 89 – I was in Germany
11 Sept 01 – I was in NYC
Tsunami 04 – I was in Thailand!
Well, vivienne, you seem to have a knack for being in the middle of things, don’t you now?
no kidding!
Yes-I’m looking forward to all the tv specials. I really do know nothing about it. The JFK speech was great-Ich bin …..
This is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen: A Democratic supermajority with a Democratic President throw women’s rights under the bus to achieve what? Bipartisanship? Anyhting?
The bill is still not bipartisan and the one Rep who never asked for that amendment voted for the bill.
What is even more bizarre is that the Democratic President was part of the negotiation that resulted in that “deal”?
I wonder how Naomi Wolf will enjoy her Xmas and Hanukkah in once.
So crazy – it makes European conservative parties look like feminists!!
I want to hear what our “he’s so transformational” European allies say now when we get pushe up towards the top on the human rights violaters list … dubya plus more!!!! This will kick us way down on the Gender Equality Index … how embarrassing!
Lets see how much air time it gets. The Brits have not yet picked up on it. I checked some German newspapers – nada! Left some comments thou…this Prez is bad news for my blood pressure!
Germans are busy with tomorrow’s preparations.
Hillary landed here today.
I am in celebration mood as well for tomorrow. Fancy dinner and opera. Good choice of O to stay away from Berlin – HRC is all we need – only real leaders should attend!
I am glad the menz (ones that believe in Women’s Rights) noticed and are shaking their heads in disbelief!
[...] Stupak amendment, the greatest rollback of rights for women in decades is now in that thing the House has been calling a “Health Care” bill. (Links from [...]
[...] Comments vivienne westwood on Just so we’re clearWoman Voter on Just so we’re clearAcid Test » Yo… on Just so [...]
Planned Parenthood is calling on their “strongest weapon.”
http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/
I kid you not. I just got the email that says:
“The House let us down last night when they passed a health care reform bill that undercuts women’s access to comprehensive health care. We can’t let it happen in the Senate. It’s time to use our strongest weapon: the White House. Please join me in asking President Obama to stand up for women’s health care.”
I see Planned Parenthood is giving up activism for a stand up comedy routine.
I believe this calls for a “lolsob.” (h/t Shakespeare’s Sister)
Reading Planned Parenthood’s e-mail gave me the first laugh I’ve had in the past 12 hours. Didn’t they see Barry going up to the Hill urging them to vote for this bill? Is Planned Parenthood insane??????
Yes — to your question.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Oh, wait. That probably wasn’t a joke….
Arthur Silber appropriately calls the bill what it really is: http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2009/11/fuck-you-act.html
That name should stick
I just thought I was depressed before I read Mr. Silber. But thank you anyway, DinenfranchisedVoter.
djmm
Oh, hell NO — my usually reasonably-sane rep, Peter Defazio, voted for this POS. I hate everybody today.
Hmmmm, we haven’t heard a peep out of our girl, have we? I’d really like to know what Hill’s reaction was.
Probably happy she can escape that farce and spend some time in Germany celebrating with some real leaders!
Hill can’t say anything that goes against Obama’s wishes. That is the unfortunate consequence of having her work in the Obama administration. But I’m pretty sure if she was still in the Senate she’d have to tread lightly because any criticism from Hill would be portrayed as racist or bitter due to her loss last year. It’s probably a good thing that she only has to deal with foreign affairs rather than even attempt to go against Obama here at home. Everything from the economy to civil and economic equality is a mess.
This absolutely flies in the face of her statement on planned parenthood earlier this year
I’m not sure how this ping back ended up here.
What I’m doing is trying to collect comments which reflect the disgust with the Fuck You Act –or this POS thing that the House passed yesterday.
Something to keep myself sane — and bear witness to the War on Women.
Thanks DK for getting rid of that!
Just curious…are PROSTRATE exams not covered either???
SCREW the Democratic Party…
I”m so pissed…of course, I meant PROSTATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GRRRRRRR
Prostate exams are probably covered, as well as viagra.
God damn. When Hillary is on—she is ON.
“Whatever happened to the Equal Protection Clause? ”
Unfortunately, quixote, the courts have on several occasions restricted the application of the Fourteenth Amendment to women (e.g.,Bradwell v. Illinois and Miner v. Happerstat), specifically ruling that, in the case of women, it protects neither the ability to practice a profession nor the right to vote. I’m sure pelvic exams will be denied under similar “logic”.