Just a reminder of who Republicans want to be making decision on women's health care.
This weekend's Republican response to President Obama's message featured Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC), who used her time to insist that the
real war on women is Obamacare.
Seriously.
“If you want to talk about a ‘war on women,’ look no further than this healthcare law,” Ellmers countered in the weekly address. “After all, it’s often women who make the healthcare decisions for our families. We put a lot of time and thought into these choices and how they’ll affect our budgets. So by canceling your insurance—despite a promise to let you keep your plan—the Obama administration is essentially saying it knows what’s best for you and your family.”
Minority leader Nancy Pelosi was succinct in summing this up: "pathetic." Which is a family friendly way of saying "bullshit."
Do we need to detail the ways in which Obamacare makes health care for women better? Apparently. First and foremost, having lady parts is no longer a pre-existing condition. Private health insurers have had to end their standard practice of charging higher premiums for women simply because we're women. Second, mammograms and cervical cancer screenings: free with your premiums. You don't have pay anything extra to have basic health care covered. Same goes for prescription birth control. Want to talk about families? Okay. Children with serious illnesses won't ever face never being able to get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Adult children can stay on their parents' plans until they are 26. Millions of women (and men, and children) who've been unable to get health insurance now can. Period.
By the way, it's 2013. Plenty of men make health care decisions for their families. Some couples are enlightened enough to even do it together. So now the Republicans are extending their war on women to a war on modern men.