Health insurance; contraception coverage. (HB1314)

The ACLU of Virginia strongly opposes this bill. HB 1314 conflicts with the new federal rule that requires employers (with exemptions for religiously affiliated organizations) to provide health insurance coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act. It restricts access to contraception and other reproductive health services, limiting insurance coverage within the new state health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act, and, as such, violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. If this bill passed, however, and the federal rule is changed or set aside by the courts, Virginia will have in place a state law that will limit access to birth control and other reproductive health services. The ACLU of Virginia opposes this bill because it intends to discriminate against women and limit women’s access to basic health services. Requiring coverage of contraception does not violate the First Amendment. The ACLU of Virginia holds that at its core, religious freedom means that we are all free to make personal decisions based on our own beliefs and according to what is best for our health and the health of our families. It does not mean allowing particular religious groups to impose their religious beliefs and prohibitions on all of us.

I fail to see how this bill discriminates. Women will always have access to contraceptives. Proponents just want someone else to pay the bill. Medical insurance is supposed to cover illnesses and efforts to return the body to normalcy. This is why Viagra et.al. is a valid expense as it corrects a medical problem. Contraceptives, on the other hand, attempt to foil natural existing health. As a taxpayer, I don't believe my taxes should be used this way. The next step would be to allow tax dollars for cosmetic surgery and hair loss. For the same reasons, I'm against taxpayer-funded abortions. You want one, gal, go and pay for it yourself.

I don't see what this has to do with taxpayers. It's specifically for employer insurance.

Contraceptive coverage means married working women have better access to birth control. It has little to no effect on insurance rates. My work insurance is part of my work compensation and whether or not I use family planning is up to me, my husband, and my own religious ethics. My employer should not be able to exclude basic health care provisions and inflict his religious beliefs on me and my family.

And Dick, birth control is considered basic medical care.

If you want to know why war on women resonated, it's nosy Parker ideas like this. I have never had an abortion, but I and practically every other married woman I know have used birth control. Having men suggest that birth control is somehow slutty is incredibly offensive.

No joke, what is with you people?

Dick...your name right? If you are unable to see how this bill discriminates against women, yet make the arguement for men that health insurance should cover Viagra...geez...I'm not sure you'll ever get it Dick. Proponents believe that health insurance corporations should be in the practice of covering prescription medicine for all of their subscribers. What are we paying a premium for...to be denied coverage? Your taxes don't pay for individual's health insurance Dick. There are no taxpayer funded abortions Dick. Ever heard of the Hyde Amendment. That is a law that prevents taxpayers from funding abortion. The entire premise for Bob and Dick's bill HB1314 is to undo The Affordable Care Act provision that requires health insurance corporations to cover contraception. Suggesting that corporations should continue to make billions in profit each year by denying services is absurd, and I can't imagine how anyone could be in favor of it.

Women were denied contraceptives until the latter half of the last century. Geez, they couldn't apply for a credit card without their husbands co-sign until 1973.

Medical insurance is not just about efforts to return the body to normalcy otherwize routine checkups would not be covered. Oh and the Viagra bit: most men that need it have underlying conditions that should be treated first before implementing that course of pharmaceutical "solution" Viagra does NOT return the body to normalcy it is used to treat the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. For that reason Viagra and other such pharms should Not be covered by insurance because that sort of treatment is only temporary. What is it Dick 3 or so hours of 'opportunity'? Lose weight, deal with your hypertension. diabetes etcetera.

Corrected !!!!
This bill which is proposed; is only representative of one man and one religion. In the United States of America, we have many different religions, which form many different views of reproduction. Religion is an individual choice, as is a woman’s choice of, or method of birth control. Religion for many has nothing to do with any of the medical procedures listed in the bill. It would be unfair and oppressive to the entire community of women of Virginia, to accept a bill as Bill #1314. It would be a step back in time where women in this county were once no more than chattel properties of men. The fight for a voice in this Commonwealth State remains exhausting for women over the burden of birth control and laws, which demand certain procedures be done to women against their will. Clearly, there is evidence of the lack of burden placed upon men who are satisfied with the achievements and engagement of sex with women, and have no consequences of its results. Acceptably, it takes two people to copulate, not one. It is also of arrogance, in bad taste for an elected official to place a bill in front of you to deny any woman a right of health care coverage, for her choice of birth control. We should remember that religion and the right to practice it is an individual right, not a medical need of which needs coverage by insurance. May I, also remind you of the separation of church and state? It is the right of the Virginia’s people (women), to decide and choose what they do with bodies, that belong to them. This has nothing to do with a man’s right, nor a man’s body or any religion. There needs to be Acknowledgement of a medical procedure chosen or recommended by a professional physician, not an elected representative, of any county in this commonwealth. There are thousands of men in America that are in prison, not for a criminal act but for their inability to support children. May I also remind you of the far “rights” need to not support these illegitimate children is evidenced again in the will to cut social programs. Laws made have caused men to be labeled “dead beat dads”, laws that incarcerated men in each state with stricter rules than those men who have committed violent crimes. These laws have caused fathers to not be fathers to their children. True reasons are lack of employment, shame, and fear of incarnation. These are the reasons fathers stay away while angry mothers want to crucify them. Many men have committed suicide and murder to escape the burden of child support and the punishments that took away their license to drive, restricting their work, and creating situations of the inability to pay or poverty. Support enforcement and it’s highly compounded interest rates on arrearage, where men cannot catch up. Not only women suffer from restrictive legislation, it is also men and children. These are not men of wealth; they are men of poverty in America. I say to you, do not hesitate to strike down this bill, which in its arrogance request the coverage of erectile medication, while serving to demean and humiliate women seeking medical care who and intelligently chose a means of birth control. It is every woman's right to medical coverage of a procedure, which concerns her body. We are the ones who become slaves to unwanted children living in improvised situations, by men who have education and means but refuse to understand the communities and lives and struggles some of us have to live. We are the greater population of America. Life is different for many of us who struggle to maintain a household and raise the children whose fathers have deserted or have died or are imprisoned. Love is a need in life, (Maslow’s theory). We are vulnerable in that men continue to lie and demean many of us. Do not think we would not like a simpler life of not having to worry of how to pay the rent each month or feed the kids. Medical coverage for all should be a given. We are the women of Virginia, and America, not sluts, but normal women who deserve medical coverage since we bare the total responsibility of reproduction in America, not “Religionica” . Today I pray that these men will change their evil ways and seek ways to contribute to birth control and not write demeaning bills, which bring harm upon the women of Virginia. It would be good to make legislation forcing men to become responsible for birth control by giving medically covered vasectomies instead of erectile medication coverage.

Wow, Dick. On the one hand you say that women who want abortions should pay for them themselves. Did you realize that contraceptives prevent unwanted pregnancies? And what, exactly, do contraceptives, foil? Besides unwanted pregnancies, sometimes debilitating menstrual pain, and control of endometriosis? (A condition which causes pain, scar tissue, and frequently leads to multiple surgeries and infertility?)

And, point in fact, when contraceptives are included in insurance group plans, the overall insurance costs go down. Why? Because pregnancy, birth, and multiple surgeries for endometriosis are more expensive than the cost of the pill.

Hubris coupled with ignorance is how we end up with bills like this.

1) Employers should not be reqired to provide health insurance. Health insurance should be avialable just like car or homeowners insurance and everyone in the state or county should be in the risk pool. If they did this then people would not be stuck in jobs they hated because of the insurance.Prices would drop because smaller companies and individuals instead aresubsidizing big comanies who get good deals and contraception wouldn't even be an issue for people with religious objections. They could still mandate it and subsidize it but Obama blew it on this.....

2) Even if you don't buy that argument, why should birth control be free but cancer drugs have a copay? Makes no sense....

3) Nobody is seeking to demean women.. its quite simple you want to be "equal" then put up or shut up... stop asking for reperations because your grandmother was treated differently than you are treated today. Women have more protections than ever and still whine about every imagined slight. Get over it already.

4) The real trash won't use it anyway, they prefer to be irresponsible and just get another abortion or carry through to term and collect welfare. You don't have to be religious to think an irresponsible whore is a whore

5) If women care so much about it then donate and hand out the pills like candy.

6) Women control half the money and all the vaginas... and you still want more... no broad ever bought me a car for going down on her....

7) You are all getting older by the minute and the younger girls hook up for fun so men don't need your attitude. In todays world a woman is just like a bus.. If I have a little money in my pocket another one will be along in about 20 minutes.

Wow, Mike, you're a really angry guy with some serious issues with women. Good luck working those out.

Mike-
1. No one wants birth control to be free. We want it to be covered like all other prescription drugs by health insurance CORPORATIONS, and we don't have a problem with co-pays for it, we just want it to be covered PERIOD.
2. Women are demeaned daily by the following:
a. not receiving equal pay for equal work.
b. bills are being drafted and laws being signed in all 50 states regulating women's reproductive rights.
c. Elected female delegates not being allowed to speak in their own legislatures for saying the word "vagina".
d. paying higher gender based health insurance premiums. Shall I continue?
3. Women ARE NOT TRASH...no human being is.
4. You and people like you are ignorant and are the reason why the rape culture continues in America. You're a misogynist and you have no respect for women. I can only hope that any women you come in contact with will be digusted by you and not afford you the time of day.

Women want their cake and eat it too. Women are NOT paid less than men. When you remove the old guard executives and look at the women under 40 they are often paid more than men and when you look at women under 30 they are consistently paid more than men. The men over 40 make more than women because they were in the work force during the revolution where women CLAIMED to be equal. The men are worth more than the women they compete with because they have more skills and experience.

Men may not admit it to you because they want that golden real estate god gave you because he ran out of brains and ambition when he made men, but men can outwork, out think and out create women in almost any category. Even stay at home dads do a better job of running households.
You women think you have it rough and you do not, you are given passes all the way down the line. You can file complaints that men cannot even think about getting away with. Every modern convienience you use was invented by by a man. Men design msot of the top dresses and shoes you wear. It is not because women are prevented from particiapating it is because men work harder and longer to get it done.

Women have the reproductive "right" to either kill the fetus or produce a child and hand a man the bill for her choice. If he wants the child and she does not then she can kill his child and has zero say. So don't lecture me about you "reproductive rights"

As far as health insurasnc premiums being higher for women it was outlawed decades ago, but they should use risk assesment when determining rates... women pay lower life insurance and disability premiums then men so why not higher health insurance if you use more?

Women have it pretty easy in America and it is never enough. I am not the angry one, it is the women who are angry because so many of them broke ranks from the feminists and have no strings attatched sex and you other women are forced to compete with actual skills instead of cleavage.

There may be religious nuts who want to silence women and turn back time. I am not one of them. I just want them to stop claiming they want an equal playing field and then want more than equal rights. Women control more than half the money in the country and the courts and agencies cater to their needs.

If you are equal (or superior) than work harder and succeed and do your own hiring.

Just stop begging for special treatment because you are equal. That dog don't hunt.

People like you usually can not afford women. from a psychological view you are jealous and wish you were a woman who is much more in brains than you will ever be. Insecure are you? hmmm Just saying, your post displays a hatred of women...I guess men like you who feel your only responsibility with children brought into this world is handing you a bill..SICK. There are so many of your gender which people refer to as Dead Beat dad's a term generated and created by a President of our country , and they are sitting in jail for not paying any bill. Are you under-educated? It seems like it. Why don't you just love women for their brilliance and ability to be able to decide as she knows how to keep men like you out of jail for non support, even willing to endure the pain for that right. Men like you create something wonderful and leave it at the mercy of many vultures ...there are real men in this world and they are the ones who love women and protect them and their rights..they support family planing. We should make a new law to clip sperm cords in order to prevent "some" accident's from reproducing.

So if a man thinks a woman who claim to be equal needs to actually stop asking for special treatment they secretly wished they were a woman? Thats pretty good...

There are plenty of successful women in the world who want nothing to do with the whiners who want an unlevel playing field in their direction.

I have no problems with men paying for their offspring, they should and should go to jail if they don't but that does not change the fact that a woman can kill a fetus that is the product of even her own husband and the law is on her side... yet she won't shut up about how "unfair" the law is when it comes to her reproductive rights. Men and PLENTY of women think there are too many abortions and that it would be a better world if women accepted some responsbilities along with those rights. I am all for birth control but I also think that if women had to pay for it they would take the damn pills. The fact of the matter is that despite the protests of a lot of women , a lot of women ignore birth control and just have an abortion. This just makes it worse for the women who really made a mistake and need to have one for compelling reasons other than they "gots" too many or don't want their boyfriend knowing they slept with someone who looks different than him.

As for your part about handing the man the bill and that being the end of his responsibility, there are plenty of men who love and would love to have a part in raising their children but they cannot deal with the crazy women out there who make it their lifes mission to destroy their exes life because they didn't get the unicorn and rainbows they were promised by "strong brave female role models"

The facts speak for themselves, women need "things" to be happy and men need to accomplish things to be happy. It has been that way forever and nature evolves slowly.

So relax, treat men better and you won't need to spend the rest of your life changing the litter box and wondering where your youth disappeared to.

Mike-You really should find something else to do with your time. Your comments are chauvanistic, unintelligent, and severely lacking in cooth. Apparently you don't respect women and therefore you feel that you can verbally abuse them.

Women don't ignore birth control, nor do they use abortion as a method of birth control. Women are not receiving special treatment. We have gone to long being treated as 2nd class citizens and we are demanding that we be treated equally. The E.R.A. is still not signed into law.

Your lack of understanding about abortion, birth control and women in general disqualifies you to speak on their behalf or to what women endure or think. Much of what you have written is simply an uninformed opinion and you have no proof for any of the points you have made. You are dispicable and I feel sorry for any woman who considers you a friend, lover, much less a husband. You and people like you are the reason women must continue to stand up for our rights.

Actually, Mike is probably pretty helpful here. A reasonable person reading his comments would conclude that if he's for this bill, then they must be against it. I hope he keeps it up!

Look, you can hate me and think of me as uncooth and neanderthal but there were 1.2 MILLION abortions last year and I can guarantee that if MEN had to carry the child we would have been responsible enough to not get knocked up in at least half of those cases.

Wome do get special treatment, look at Susan Rice hiding behind Obamas coattails... look at the girls who show a little leg and get away with whatever.. even women talk about the other women in the office that do this...

You claim to have to "endure" so much when most women could not trade places with their "equal" partner and handle the stress the way men do. In fact when you see a woman handling a stressful job you can look at her mannerisims and see she is rolling in testosterone.

Women have it easy unless they make stupid mmistakes and pick a man who has no interest in dealing with her psychosis and splits. Women take 80% of the antidepressants in this country because they can't handle competing in the world, not because they are oppressed. Women are not inferior, they are different, everybody knows it and there is no amount of legislation that will change that.

So do what nature intended and stop beings such a victim all the time and maybe a man will actually take a little interest in something besides your vagina...

Who knows maybe you can do something on the weekend besides rearrange your flower pots and work out at the gym... around all of those men who oppress you...

Waldo, The only reason I have objection to the bill is because it tramples a business owners right to decide what benifits he wishes to compensate his employees with. Let the employers make a pay package and if people want to refuse to work for him for being too religious or closeminded then he will suffer in the marketplace which is the right forum.

If women think they are so valuable than let them prove it and have employers throw out their moral beliefs and give them all whatever they demand.

Should a kosher deli be forced to hire a muslim which will chase away customers? Should a private school be able to fire a teacher for doing LEGAL porn filsm on her day off? How about if she likes to kill baby seals during harvest season?

Employers should not have to provide contracepton if it affects their religious beliefs. Contrary to the stupid staetment that the employer doesn't pay the insurance company pays, employers pay the insurance company so they can pay for it. If the government wants to give a tax credit for birth control then let them. Just leave employers out of it. If a woman business owner wants to exclude vasectomy coverage because of her personal beliefs than I am okay with that.

American women have it easier than anywhere else on earth.

This is what most men (yes most) think about modern america women.

http://www.quickmeme.com/First-World-Problems/

Keep up your good work, Mike. I can't tell if you're deliberately parodying supporters of this bill or if you really believe what you're saying, but either way, your contributions are valuable!

good here are some more "opinions" (if you look close 704 pages of them )

http://www.quickmeme.com/College-Liberal/popular/1/?upcoming

Mike, any party whose supporters begin arguments with "if women think they are so valuable" can probably kiss off the votes of said women. Who, BTW, are the majority of the population.

I have never before been particularly political, but the extreme and offensive positions taken on contraception will have an effect on my vote, and have resulted in political contributions to saner folks. And I'm not alone.

Sally, that is because you selfishly place your imagined slights and the precious imagined constitutional "right" to have free birth control ahead of more important matters. I get it.

The only reason women are in the workplace today is because those mean old men invented washing machines, dryers dishwashers, microwaves, sewing machines, the assembly line, planes trains and automobiles to get them shipped at a reasonable cost from around the world...

Women had it way harder when they were keeping the homestead and men respected them more for it.

Don't get me wrong, most men are whiners too but just not to the exent of women and when we call them out for it they actually examine the facts instead of crying victim and blaming the messenger.

If women want to compete in a mans world then grow a set, don't expect me to cut mine off and come down to your level.

You're a misogynist Mike...there's no need to engage with someone of your demeanor. You're more to be pitied than scorned...you're not even aware of your own ignorance.

I'm pretty sure it's satire. Telling a woman to "grow a set [of testicles]"? That's comedy gold. "Mike" is trying to make supporters of this bill look bad, and I think it's working quite well!

vajayjay......
So says the person who has already worn out TWO copies of "50 shades of grey"

Look, it is quite simple, ask anyone who has been in the workforce for more than a dozen years which gender does the most backstabbing, gossiping, complaining and the least amount ofwork and the box marked "female" will be checked off in all categories.

Women just THINK they have it hard because they don't know what hard is. If you look at happy women the common thread is they are friendly decent human beings and thrive in being appreciated for being a woman as nature intended. They do recieve respect for their intellect and ideas. It is the women who come into a workplace and start making demands for things they have yet to earn who get the eyerolls and no favors done to help them along. Condoleeza Rice is a perfect example of the kind of woman who has earned everything she has and earned it with the grace and humility that in inherent to the female by nature. If more women were like her there would be no glass ceiling.

I am for handing out birth controls pills like haloween candy and cutting off welfare unless a person who has an abortion or a kid while on it gets the underarm birth control. I am also for free reversible vasectomies for anyone on welfare and mandatory for anyone behind in child support who cannot or will not make it right.

But mostly I am aginst the government intruding and forcing employers to provide anything beyond a safe workplace, workers comp, unemployment insurance and cold hard cash. Let the entire poulation become the "risk pool" so that the unemployed and taxpayers and small businesses stop subsidizing big busineses. If they want to mandate the availability of birth control then there would be no legal or constitutional or moral objection because it would be an option that they could pay for or not. (which is really want women want.. somebody else to pay for their birth control. )

and Waldo, I am dead serious, somebody needs to say it and most men are afraid. I am being arrogant to make my points because it is fun to ruffle up the feathers but that is how things get accomplished. The fact that I have no supporters here may mean I am wrong or that perhaps I am right and men are afraid to speak the truth.

No one wants employers to pay for birth control. They want health insurance CORPORATIONS to cover this prescription drug this is preventative. Current high premiums for health care will cover these costs, in addition to a co-pay. No one is intruding on employers. The intrusion needs to occur on the health insurance corporations who are in the business of denying claims and profiting their stockholders and their top executives who walk away with hundreds of thousands of bonus dollars each year at the insureds expense. "Women who came into the workplace"...Women were not allowed to work before, nor were they allowed to own a home or have credit in their own name going back to as early as 1978. I am sure this is not part of your thinking since you have ALWAYS had ALL of your rights in place, and women have had to FIGHT for each and everyone they have. Again, you're a misogynist and are more to be pitied than scorned. I wouldn't expect you to understand, you've never had to battle for your God given rights, they have always been in place for you.

Vajayjay,

You are wrong. Women have owned property since he inception of the country. In fact women land owners used to be able to vote until men changed the rules on them.

Women have also worked forever, they were just not reated equally because the men felt that men should be the breadwinners and have the opportuinty to feed thier family first. That has all changed 1964 was 49 years ago so anyone in the workplace before that is getting social security unless they enetered the workforce when they were 12 years old...

Most women don't know what a "fight" is. They think because they have to deal woth a little stress that they have it rough, well a welder on a skyscraper has stress too. The guy out there plowing snow today while cluelss wqomen honking at him for making them late for their nail appointment has stress too.

Men have to compete not only with men for their jobs but we have to compete with inferior women who claim they are equal but who run to Obama for some affirmative action because their own skills can't cut the mustard.

As for insurance companies paying for the birth control, just because the hair salon doesn't bill you seperately for the "free" samples they give you doesn't mean its not in your bill.

Men make it in the real world because they are tough. If women want to make it in the real world then get tough or be nicer to men who will do the hard work for you. (you know like men have for millenium)

Your email doens't warrant a reponse except to say you are mis-informed and most all of what you have written is opinion based...you know what they say..everyone has an opinion, just like a A**(^%(.

It's sad, but not surprising, to see that most those opposing this bill are unable to reply with logical, reasonable rebuttals. They instead resort to "ad hominem" attacks on the authors.

Dick, the ad hominem attacks to this bill are coming from its supporters, not its opponents.

I oppose this bill because it inflicts the religious beliefs of others onto Virginia families.

Birth control is essentially premium neutral. The cost reduction of preventing unwanted pregnancies is about the same as the cost of providing birth control coverage. Not covering birth control hurts families, not just woman, by increasing their costs. It does not reduce premiums, but families that want less than a dozen kids have to pay up to eighty dollars a month extra.

In general, not covering BC does not save anyone money, but it will increase the costs of all insured families that include a mom who chooses to limit her family size, whether she herself works or not. This is because it will also affect stay at home moms who are covered by their husbands insurance.

The phrase penny wise and pound foolish comes to mind.

Most married women work. Most families include a woman. What this hurts is Virginias working families.

I would also like to add that this opposition to contraception has, to me, just crossed a bright red line.

The right for married people to use contraception was not protected until Griswold v Connecticut in 1965. My grandmother had ten kids. I did not.

Thanks to being able to limit my family size, and a lot of very hard work, I have been blessed with a rewarding and lucrative career. I know how important this is to women, and I am willing to put my money and my vote to support my rights.

HB1314, HB1315, HB1417 are clearly attempts by the GOP to deny basic health coverage for women and conflict with the federal rule as stated by the ACLU-VA above.