The GOP wants to give your boss “moral” control over your health care

[kpete]

The GOP Plan to Give Your Boss "Moral" Control Over Your Health Insurance
Republicans now want to give CEOs the power to do away with any medical benefits they dislike.


The GOP Plan to Give Your Boss “Moral” Control Over Your Health Insurance | Mother Jones

Last week, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) offered a “conscience amendment,” to the law, pitching it as a way to allay religious employers’ qualms about providing birth control to their employees.

But Blunt’s proposal doesn’t just apply to religious employers and birth control. Instead, it would allow any insurer or employer, religiously affiliated or otherwise, to opt out of providing any health care services required by federal law—everything from maternity care to screening for diabetes. Employers wouldn’t have to cite religious reasons for their decision; they could just say the treatment goes against their moral convictions. That exception could include almost anything—an employer could theoretically claim a “moral objection” to the cost of providing a given benefit. The bill would also allow employers to sue if state or federal regulators try to make them comply with the law.

If Republican leaders get their way and Blunt’s bill becomes law, a boss who regarded overweight people and smokers with moral disgust could exclude coverage of obesity and tobacco screening from his employees’ health plans. A Scientologist employer could deny its employees depression screening because Scientologists believe psychiatry is morally objectionable. A management team that thought HIV victims brought the disease upon themselves could excise HIV screening from its employees’ insurance coverage. Your boss’ personal prejudices, not science or medical expertise, would determine which procedures your insurance would cover for you and your kids.

“One of the fundamental purposes of the Affordable Care Act was making sure all health insurance plans cover basic services. The Blunt amendment would do away with that,” says Sarah Lipton-Lubet, a policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union. “A business could deny coverage for cervical cancer screening for unmarried employees, out of opposition to premarital sex.“

the rest:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/republican-plan-give-bosses-moral-control-health-insurance
via:
http://underthemountainbunker.com/2012/02/17/the-gop-wants-to-give-your-boss-moral-control-over-your-health-care/

[Angry Dragon]

1. Wouldn't the CEO's have to prove they had morals??

[atreides1]

2. How hard would that be?

They have the money to help them prove their morals!

[dgibby]

3. Wonder how much that weasel Blount is making

from pushing this amendment. I suspect CEO's and insurance co's everywhere are throwing tons of money in his direction.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. And since I believe in zero population growth, I could limit the number of

times insurance would pay for pregnancies to two. That would get the attention of the 'quiverfull' group.

[RainDog]

9. exactly n/t

[greymattermom]

13. exactly

That's what I thought immediately when I heard about this. Also, what if your boss is a runner and you are older, maybe have a little arthritis.

[Beartracks]

16. Hey, if population growth is against your religion, why not? n/t

[global1]

5. The Repugs Answer To Death Panels ......

your employer.

Yep!!! We're working for the man!!!!!

[madrchsod]

6. it would be a nightmare for the insurance industry

they would have to write ten`s of thousands of different policies instead offering a limited number of plans. the cost of the administration these plans and the cost to medical providers would all but assure higher rates for insurance companies,employers,and employees.

neverever let a republican near any healthcare decision

[jmowreader]

17. That's what they're counting on

The Texas schoolbook disaster is a good example here: Because Texas approves its books at the state level and no textbook publisher can afford either to make a book Texas won't buy or to make a book for Texas and a different one for everyone else, every child in America learns the way the Texas school board wants them to.

In this case, if enough fundamentalist employers complain loud enough, no healthcare plan will cover any form of women-specific healthcare except breast cancer screenings and pregnancy coverage and cervical cancer coverage for married women only.

Yeah. This shit is bad.

[Blappy]

7. I would be fine with that

as long as I could "opt out" to a single payer plan like Medicare (for all).

[The Blue Flower]

8. Once again they prove their genius at overreaching

The sheer political stupidity boggles the mind.

[Bill USA]

10. I'm glad this is getting more attention than when i Posted it on Wednesday.

it deserves it.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/101614468

[DearAbby]

11. Well under their rules

I as an employer could deny a medical procedure I find morally offensive, say like Male genital mutilation as I could so dramatically call it...With the appropriate outrage, snot bubbles included. Set up an all woman panel to discuss the idea, males should wait until they are of age and give consent to have this procedure done.

See how that cuts?

[Mister Ed]

12. Maybe they have a point. Maybe it's not fair to make employers pay for this stuff.

Maybe it's time to quit making American employers serve as health-insurance brokers at all.

Maybe it's time for the U.S. to join the rest of the world's industrial democracies and institute single-payer health care!

[Beartracks]

15. +1000 n/t

[Beartracks]

14. Conservative minions don't think too good, do they?

Conservative minion: "Gee, we need to allow an employer the choice to opt out of providing coverage for anything HE PERSONALLY doesn't 'believe in.' Heh heh, this'll let them opt out of contraception! Hee hee hee!"

Afterwards, when he falls ill, the minion finds out his boss is a strict Christian Scientist...



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