I'm sure multiple kossacks have already made this point, but I feel like this can't be stressed enough...
The Blunt Amendment is NOT an "Anti-Contraception Amendment."
The Blunt Amendment is an "Anti-Comprehensive Health Insurance Amendment."
‘‘(A) FOR HEALTH PLANS.—A health plan shall not be considered to have failed to provide the essential health benefits package [...], to fail to be a qualified health plan, or to fail to fulfill any other requirement under this title on the basis that it declines to provide coverage of specific items or services because—
'‘(i) providing coverage (or, in the case of a sponsor of a group health plan, paying for coverage) of such specific items or services is contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan; or
(ii) such coverage (in the case of individual coverage) is contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of the purchaser or beneficiary of the coverage.
I keep hearing this crazy amendment described in the media as just being about an attack on birth control pills,
even in the progressive media, and it's kind of driving me nuts.
While I definitely think targeting women the way the GOP has is pretty disgusting...
I think describing the Blunt amendment as merely an anti-contraception amendment fails to capture just how insanely radical and destructive this proposal is when there is so many other aspects of medical care that the GOP wants to take away from you. This is their attempt at repealing PPACA by distracting the media with birth control talk in doing so.
So anyway I just thought I'd compose a list of religious/moral beliefs that your employer could adopt to get out of giving you comprehensive health insurance.
Enjoy!
An incomplete examination of the religious/moral objections that your employer can hold to get out of having to offer you comprehensive health insurance under the Blunt Amendment:
1. The Seven Deadly Sins - Catholic/Christian
a. Lust
i. No abortion/sterilization/contraception medicine
ii. No STD treatment or prevention medicine/vaccine/clinical services
ii. No maternal care for single women who get pregnant
iii. No health coverage for children born out of wedlock
b. Gluttony
i. No treatment/prevention for high cholesterol
ii. No treatment/prevention for Type 2 diabetes
iii. No treatment/prevention for drug/alcohol issues or related ailments
iv. No treatment/prevention for smoking issues or related ailments
c. Pride/Vanity
i. No breast reconstruction surgery covered after a mastectomy
ii. No treatment for prostheses
iii. No treatment for acne
iv. No treatment for skin cancer
v. No plastic surgery to improve appearance of burn victims
d. Sloth
i. No treatment/prevention for obesity
ii. No treatment/prevention for high blood pressure
e. Wrath
i. No anger management counseling/medication
f. Greed
i. No coverage for IVF/other fertility treatments in desiring parenthood
g. Envy
i. No treatment/prevention for mental issues like anorexia/bulimia
2. The Sacred Nature of Blood - Jehovah's Witnesses
a. No blood transfusions covered
3. The "Hoax" of Psychiatry - $cientologists
a. No mental health clinical or pharmaceutical treatments
4. Mormon drink/diet/activity restrictions
a. No treatment/prevention for drug/alcohol issues or related ailments
b. No treatment/prevention for hypertension related to caffeine usage
c. No treatment/prevention for smoking issues or related ailments
5. A Moral Objection to Animal Use/Testing in Medical Research
a. No medicine or treatment that has derived directly or indirectly from study and experimentation using animals (i.e. EVERYTHING)
Feel free to add in comments any additional medical treatments you think are in jeopardy because of this amendment.
Thanks!