Women Demand Equal Benefits for Equal Premiums

Although she was in perfect health, Peggy Robertson says she was denied health care coverage by an insurance company in 2007 because, they said, she had had a previous cesarean section. But to her surprise, the company denying her coverage -- the Indianapolis-based Golden Rule Insurance Company -- had broken no laws.

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She and her husband had been searching for independent health insurance options after they saw the cost of their current policy increase each year. Her husband is self-employed, so they were unable to get access to a group health insurance policy. Robertson contacted Golden Rule in an effort to find out why the company rejected her application and was told in a letter that if she had been sterilized after the C-section, was over 40-years-old, or had given birth two years before applying for coverage, she might have qualified for coverage. "In order to consider coverage without a rider, we require that certain requirements be met," the company told Robertson in a letter she read to the committee today. "One requirement is that some form of sterilization has occurred since the caesarean section delivery."

Committee members were shocked by Robertson's story. "That gave me goose bumps," Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said about the notion of sterilization. "That phrase, that concept, I found that bone chilling. No one in the United States in order to get health insurance should ever, ever be coerced into getting sterilization." Robertson, too, was shocked and had contacted the International Cesarean Awareness Network only to learn that with individual insurance coverage, insurance companies in many states are free to pick and choose the people they insure.

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"My husband and I ended up accepting an insurance plan with a high deductible that honestly could financially ruin us if there was a family medical emergency," Robertson said. With the out-of-pocket costs of having a C-section higher than coverage from maternity insurance, Robertson says she and her husband are unable to afford to have any more children. Once a woman has had a C-section, many doctors require than any subsequent births must also be performed the same way because of a high risk of fatal complications during birth  especially uterine rupture.

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"We must continue our fight for women, whether it's in the workplace, the doctor's office, or the hospital," Mikulski said. "Health care is a women's issue. Health care reform is a must-do women's issue. And health insurance reform is a must change women's issue."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Health/women-battle-insurance-industry-demand-equal-benefits-premiums/story?id=8838361

in order to qualify for insurance

where or where are the right to lifers when they might do some good? Oh, they are on the side of the companies wanting to sterilize people

They want to avoid the expense of future caesarians.

"In order to consider coverage without a rider, we require that certain requirements be met," the company told Robertson in a letter she read to the committee today. "One requirement is that some form of sterilization has occurred since the caesarean section delivery."

they want to avoid the expense of future cesarian deliveries, which they'd have to pay.

Reps can decide whats more important to them, 'free market' and what it does for business, or babies, babies, babies. I suspect they ignore this little quandary.

Had it passed the rating-up of women would not be legal.

At the time of its failure the Catholic church got the brunt of the blame in the main stream culture. No one ever talked about the fact that insurance companies were pulling all of the strings (spending millions and hiring people like Phyllis Schlafly) behind the scenes. Insurance companies had by far the most to lose but they were completely protected by the media. They only had to buy a hand full of state legislators.

The ERA was the only amendment in history that was time limited.