thrown in the gutter where it belongs.

This is getting really perverse. Contraception has become more important that life dependent drugs that people pay an arm and a leg for.

Some employer could decide that for conscientious reasons they don't want to fund insurance for high blood pressure. Maybe a company wants to drive off overweight and "over-age" people so they suddenly find it in their conscience that people with high blood pressure are profligates who eat too much and don't exercise enough.

And even if your current employer covered treatment, you could be bought by another employer who didn't.

The odds we will keep control in perpetuity are slim to none.

Yes, they are in jeopardy if Republicans were to get some sort of overwhelming control, but that has never happened. If we had federal healthcare, the Republicans would just do what they are doing now. They would fail. It is when the Republicans successfully privatize something that "they" get control of it. Because the Republican party is really just the political arm of big business.

And wait til they get to IVF. Ugh.

I was interested to know there is a moral clause in my carriers policy. You have to be married and trying for kids for 5 years or no coverage.

insurance like other drugs. And birth control pills save women's lives, but obviously you don't care about that little factoid.

Have you EVER ONCE supported Democratic policies?? Or women's issues?? And I bet you're male.

"The Health and Human Services Department said student health plans will be treated like employees’ plans, meaning they will have to comply with new requirements under healthcare reform — including the requirement to provide contraception without charging a copay."

This is the only rx I've ever heard of that requires no co pay.

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/216485-white-house-says-colleges-must-cover-birth-control-for-students

contraception.

The one that does could be the one that buys your company. And maybe, if the Republicans have their way, more and more business owners will start to act their consciences if Republican politicians give them the power to do so.

republican primary voters. Primary voters are the extreme of their party. It's just like when the president was coming out against NAFTA in 2008 to win extreme voters. Just as that silliness went a way so will this.

175+ so far in the past year that restrict women's reproductive, privacy, and human rights.

IT'S NOT A SHINY DISTRACTION. IT'S REAL OPPRESSION.

You're male, right??

I am all for the rights of individuals to practice whatever hocus pocus (and I am a Christian) they want provided their practice does not negatively affect others.

If an employer is personally opposed to contraception then don't use it. Screw until your eyes fall out but don't deny your employees that bargain (not usually by contract but rather by market forces) with you for a package of pay and benefits access to things THEY consider important to their health.

The focus today is on contraception because the GOP knows the base isn't overly excited about their presidential candidates and hope to draw the nut-cases to the polls in November by stirring up the most visceral and hateful wings of their party.

This may be politics writ-large but the impact of these concepts is very dark. Under the conscience exception concept an employer could deny coverage for essentially any treatment. They could do so regardless of whether the treatment is known or accepted as appropriate and beneficial.

I could see employers that say they don't support any treatment of STDs, cancer, heart disease, etc. simply because they "believe" these diseases are the sign of the devil or brought on by the employee.

At a time when the ability to organize and contract for pay and benefits, allowing employers yet another option to opt out of providing health services is absurd. But this is the GOP of the 21st century. Welcome to Party of the Apes.