Results tagged “obamacare” from Blog for Choice
Today, staff and volunteers of NARAL Pro-Choice America joined Planned Parenthood and National Women's Law Center to deliver your comments in support of no-cost birth control to the Department of Health and Human Services. Together, we submitted more than 338,000 comments!
Hundreds of thousands of pro-choice activists submitted comments about why no-cost birth control is essential for women across the country who may otherwise not be able to afford it.
Access to birth control is so important because the ability to control when, how, and with whom to start a family empowers women to chart their own courses and achieve their goals in life. That's why we love the no-cost birth control benefit under Obamacare!
Anti-choice opponents tried to flood HHS with anti-birth control comments.
But we know that most Americans support the no-cost birth control policy and we're making our pro-choice voices heard!
Because when women have access to birth control they have the power to choose their futures.
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Just when we thought we'd seen it all - anti-choice lobbyists in Arizona are trying to defund Planned Parenthood by exploiting the state's move to expand Medicaid through Obamacare.
Available as part of the Affordable Care Act, states can choose to expand Medicaid and provide health-care coverage to millions of uninsured low-income Americans.
These services include access to preventive-health services, including contraception, maternity care, and well-woman visits.
Unfortunately, rather than accept this opportunity to increase women's access to essential reproductive-health care, extreme anti-choice groups in Arizona are trying to change the Medicaid package so that it prohibits funds from going to Planned Parenthood.
These anti-choice tactics could torpedo the legislation all together since the bill needs bi-partisan support.
If the legislation is derailed or if it somehow survives with the Planned Parenthood defunding language intact, the outcome would be the reduction of essential reproductive-health care services for women across the state of Arizona. Blocking funds for Planned Parenthood in Arizona means fewer cancer screenings, STD testing and treatments and HIV tests - for low-income women and men - services that save lives and keep people healthy.
Sadly, these extreme anti-choice opponents never miss an opportunity to attack women's reproductive freedom, even at the expense of the thousands of women that could completely lose access to health-care if the Medicaid expansion doesn't go through.
Three years ago, President Obama put his pen to paper and signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) into law.
This law is a huge win for women's health, and ensures that millions of Americans will have access to health care that they otherwise may not be able to afford, including no-cost birth control.
Here's a photo marking one of our favorite Affordable Care Act (ACA) moments from 2012. President Obama, in the Oval Office, speaks with the Solicitor General of the United States after learning that the ACA was upheld by the Supreme Court.
We fully support this huge advancement for women's health. Thanks to Obamacare, more than 30 million Americans will have access to affordable family-planning services, better access to contraception, and maternity care. We know that when women have control over their own health-care, they're empowered to make essential decisions about their families and their futures.
We stand with our pro-choice President Barack Obama and will continue our work to ensure that millions of Americans have access to the health care they deserve.
We're more than half-way through Women's History Month and our celebration is far from over!
This week, we're focusing on the legalization of birth control and how deeply it impacted the lives of women across the country.
But first, a quick history lesson.
In the 1965 landmark case Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court ruled that birth control should be legal for married couples.
In 1972, the Supreme Court took one step further and ruled that unmarried couples, as well as married couples, have the right to use contraception - effectively legalizing birth control across the country.
Access to birth control is essential for millions of women and their families. The ability to control when, how, and with whom to start a family empowers women to chart their own courses and achieve their goals in life.
That's why we're fully supportive of the no-cost birth-control benefit under Obamacare. Because when women have access to birth control they have the power to choose their futures.
And we're not alone! Seventy-one percent of Americans agree that health-insurance plans should cover the cost of birth control.
Join the celebration of Women's History Month and the huge positive impact birth control has on the lives of women and their families by sharing our graphic on Facebook.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is back in town, and you know what that means - some of the most extreme anti-choice and anti-woman politicos in the country will be taking the stage.
In keeping with this year's theme, "America's Future: The Next Generation of Conservatives," CPAC will feature speakers that the organizers hope will resonate with Millennials. Here are just a few of some of the worst anti-choice speakers:
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will take the stage as a keynote speaker this year. Sen. Rubio reintroduced the "Arrest Grandma Act" and just this week he called for a complete repeal of Obamacare, including the no-cost birth-control policy that guarantees affordable access to contraception to millions of American women.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is no stranger to anti-choice tactics. He even tried to sneak a "personhood" amendment that would ban abortion in almost all cases into a flood-insurance bill.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) voted to defund Planned Parenthood and to allow private employers to refuse to cover birth control or any service required under the health-reform law for virtually any reason.
Guess who else made the list of speakers Millennials should watch at CPAC...
None other than 2012's anti-choice vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Rep. Ryan has been candid about his extreme anti-choice views.
Rep. Ryan wants to ban all abortion care, with no exception for rape or incest. He also cosponsored forced ultrasound legislation and the "Let Women Die" bill. And his latest budget plan would repeal Obamacare, which would have a huge negative impact on women and families.
In case CPAC organizers hadn't made their anti-choice agenda clear enough, they have also secured Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins to speak during the conference.
Clearly the folks running CPAC don't want to accept the facts. Sixty-one percent of Millennials are pro-choice and these anti-choice speakers do not speak for them.
Keep an eye on our Twitter feed @NARAL for more news and updates on CPAC.
Ali Tweedt is a member of NARAL Pro-Choice America's communications and online advocacy strategies department.
We can hardly believe that election day is less than two weeks away.
This year, many pro-choice Americans will be voting for the very first time! We couldn't be more excited for all the pro-choice 18 to 22-year-olds who were too young to vote in the previous election, but will now get to vote for our pro-choice champion, President Barack Obama.
These Millennials have the chance to rock the pro-choice vote - and we definitely need their help on November 6.
When I voted for the first time in 2008, access to abortion and contraception weren't being attacked like they are today. I remember feeling so lucky to be able to use my political voice and vote for a candidate I knew was going to be a champion for choice and equality.
Lena Dunham, writer of the HBO show "Girls," talked about her first time voting in a new ad for the Obama campaign. Check it out!
President Obama has demonstrated his leadership time and again, standing with women and their families, and I am so thrilled that first-time voters will get the same opportunity to use their pro-choice voices and vote!
We cannot forget what's at stake in this election. Under a Romney-Ryan administration, women could lose their most basic rights:
- Mitt Romney vows to eliminate Obamacare, and with it, the no-cost birth-control policy.
- He threatens to defund Planned Parenthood and said, "Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that." This plan would cut off access to birth control and breast-cancer screenings for millions of women.
- Romney supports policies that would outlaw abortion in almost all cases, even in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman's health is in danger.
- Romney threatened to appoint Supreme Court justices who would support overturning Roe v. Wade.
We're working to make sure that Millennials know that Mitt Romney is bad for women and their families. And come election day, we hope Millennials will vote for a person who has fought for women and our freedom and privacy.
For all those pro-choice people who just turned 18, use your political voice on November 6. Vote for the candidate who has stood with women, and trusts us with our personal health-care decisions: President Barack Obama.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
We're only 41 days away from the election!
Don't forget to tune in to the first presidential debate next week on October 3.
Jim Lehrer, the debate moderator, has already announced the topics of the debate. He will ask President Obama and Mitt Romney about two topics we think are of the utmost importance to pro-choice voters: health care and whether the government should meddle with a woman's private medical decisions.
We are all too familiar with Romney's attempts to dodge or deny his own anti-choice statements, but pro-choice voters are not going to let him get away with that!
Here are some questions Mr. Romney needs to answer about his extreme anti-choice position, as well as the policies he would establish if elected:
- Gov. Romney, you have threatened on numerous occasions to repeal the health-care law. The law - which we too like to call Obamacare - helps women in so many ways . It means near-universal coverage of maternity and prenatal care for women, insurance coverage of contraception without a copay, and an end to allowing insurance companies to discriminate by charging women more than men. These are all provisions broadly supported by the American people. Why would you reinstate discrimination against women in the insurance market and drive up costs for women's health-care services?
- Gov. Romney, you have said that you'd eliminate the Title X family-planning program because it is "not absolutely essential." Title X is the nation's only dedicated family-planning program. Millions of Americans rely on it for birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care. How do you propose that these Americans get access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care they need once you've eliminated Title X?
- When it comes to women's freedom and privacy, politicians in your party, including your running mate, have supported policies that would put government in the examining room with women. For example, right now there is a bill in Congress that would force a woman to undergo an ultrasound before she can receive abortion care, even if her doctor doesn't recommend it and even if it is against the woman's will. Women deserve to know how you'd govern on these issues. As president, would you sign a forced-ultrasound bill?
We're not going to let Mitt Romney shy away from his anti-choice position. We're holding him accountable! And so will voters on November 6.
There's only one candidate we can trust with women's freedom and privacy, and that's pro-choice President Barack Obama.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
It seems like everyone is running away from their anti-choice record these days.
Yesterday, Rep. Steven King (R-Iowa) denied attacking women's access to birth control.
When his Democratic challenger, Christie Vilsack, brought up his extreme position, Rep. King insisted,
"If I were opposed to it, I would have introduced a bill. I mean, look at my history. I have had 16 years out there. I don't know why they have to make things up."
But that's not exactly true, is it, Rep. King?
Rep. Steve King has an extreme anti-contraception voting record. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
- This is the guy who thinks states should be able to ban birth control, but not foie gras.
- Since coming to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003, Rep. King has voted six times to defund, block or restrict family-planning programs.
- Rep. King also cosponsored H.R.1179 - the House counterpart to the infamous Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed any employer to deny coverage of birth control to employees for virtually any reason.
- And just last year, Rep. King made these extreme comments on the House floor regarding the Affordable Care Act and the no-cost birth control mandate :
"Preventing babies from being born is not medicine. That's not constructive to our culture and our civilization. If we let our birth rate down below the replacement rate, we are a dying civilization."
Rep. King is trying to appear moderate on birth control, but we're not fooled. Nice try, Rep. King, but your extreme anti-contraception record speaks for itself.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, has a new guest post over at Latinovations' La Plaza blog.
She writes about how Obamacare is starting to affect women in their everyday lives - especially Latinas. Across the country, more and more women are no longer being charged a copay when they pick up their prescription birth control.
August 1 marked a momentous day for women: President Obama's no-cost birth-control policy went into effect as part of the Affordable Care Act. This law holds some of the most important advances for women that we will likely see in our lifetimes.
There are so many preventative services that women will now get at no cost, including screenings for gestational diabetes, breastfeeding support, and, of course, birth-control coverage.
At NARAL Pro-Choice America, we wholeheartedly believe that contraception is basic health care. In fact, 99 percent of all women use contraception at some point in their lives.
But until now, many women were forced to choose between their birth control and other necessities like groceries, because contraception is expensive. And even for women fortunate to have contraceptive coverage, many insurance plans charged high deductibles that put the medication out of reach. In fact, fifty percent of Latinas say that they can't afford to use birth control consistently due to the high cost. But this is all starting to change. Thanks to the new policy, many women will now have greater access to family-planning services.
Check out the rest at La Plaza!
Extreme anti-choice state lawmakers are at it again!
This law will allow bosses to refuse to cover birth control, abortion, and other health-care services in their insurance plans based on their personal beliefs. Women who work at these organizations may no longer receive comprehensive health-care coverage.
This is the furthest-reaching of any recent state bill on this topic.
When Gov. Nixon vetoed the bill in July, he delivered a strong rebuke against its intent to deny contraceptive-coverage to women. Watch his great remarks:
We've seen this kind of political interference in women's birth-control coverage at the federal level, too.
Earlier this year, another Missouri native, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), proposed an extreme amendment to allow corporations and insurance companies to refuse to cover birth control and other essential health-care services, including maternity care, HIV/AIDS screenings, mammograms and cancer screenings.
Fortunately, U.S. senators stood up for women and defeated the notorious Blunt amendment.
Keep up to date on what's happening in Missouri by following NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri on Facebook and Twitter. They are on the front lines, and we applaud them for doing everything they could to stop this attack on women's birth-control coverage.
Last week, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman (D - Ca.), published a report documenting all of the anti-woman and anti-choice votes held by leaders of the U.S. House Representatives since January 2011.
The report details 55 votes - all shamelessly anti-woman.
Here are just a few highlights/lowlights:
- A vote to ban abortion for women in Washington, D.C. who face complications later in pregnancy.
- Votes to repeal Obamacare and effectively take away women's access to affordable preventive-health services.
- A vote to allow hospitals to refuse to provide a woman emergency, life-saving abortion care, even if she could die without it.
Our own Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, was featured in the report:
"From the 'Let Women Die' bill to IRS rape audits to attempts to defund family-planning programs, Americans have seen an unprecedented number of attacks on women's health in recent months. Rep. Waxman's report documents the lengths to which this Congress has gone in trying to dismantle reproductive freedom - and will serve as a clarion call to every American woman who cares about her rights."
Rep. Waxman's report further exposes how anti-choice leaders in Congress are waging a War on Women.
We're not going to let these anti-woman politicians vote our rights away. On November 6, we'll show them that they won't get away with their anti-woman agenda.
Last night, we watched Mitt Romney do what he does best: hide his extreme political agenda.
Here's what Romney should have told the American people if he were being completely honest: that he will be an extreme anti-choice president who works to take away women's freedom and privacy.
This is the man who vetoed a bill that ensured rape survivors received information and access to emergency contraception. He claimed that the "Roe v. Wade one-size-fits-all approach is wrong." And when he promises to nominate justices who believe - like he does - that the Supreme Court decision recognizing a woman's constitutionally guaranteed right to choose was wrong, we must take him at his word.
We used to call anti-choice extremists "fringe." But now we call them governors, senators, and mayors. Let's make sure we don't call them Mr. President.
We know that you know that the best way to protect your pro-choice values is to vote pro-choice at the polls. We know that you understand full well what happens when we elect extreme politicians like Mitt Romney.
But unfortunately, a lot of pro-choice people don't connect their personal beliefs to taking political action. They might have watched Mitt Romney's speech and come away feeling like he's an okay guy who can be trusted with our rights.
We need your help to make sure your friends connect the dots - and act to protect what they believe in. We put together this video to do just that - encourage people who believe that choice is a very private and personal issue to get involved. Please watch it and share it far and wide:
By sharing our video today, you can actually persuade the voters in our communities who will make a difference this election.
Together, we won't let anti-choice extremists intrude on our personal and private decisions.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
The anti-choice leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives just can't help themselves.
They're like Captain Ahab and Wile E. Coyote combined with their mad obsession with destroying the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare.
And even though the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, the House will vote again tomorrow to repeal this landmark piece of legislation--the 31st attempt by the anti-choice House leadership to invalidate the law.
And just what are they voting to repeal?
- Improving women's access to maternity care
- Covering birth control without a copay
- Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26.
- Refusing to let insurance companies discriminate against women.
What planet are these people living on?
Instead of taking action to create jobs and grow our economy, anti-choice members of the House are voting to attack our health care--again.
Call your representative at 202-224-3121, and tell him or her that enough is enough: vote NO on this latest attack on health care.
Good news: this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare!
The law will bring 30 million Americans into a health-care system that includes affordable family-planning services, better access to contraception, and maternity care.
It's a HUGE victory for American women!
A group of my NARAL Pro-Choice America colleagues was out on the Supreme Court steps this morning speaking out for Obamacare.
Unfortunately, anti-choice politicians in Congress are still trying to repeal the health-care law. In fact, less than an hour after the Supreme Court issued its ruling, anti-choice U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell went to the floor of the Senate to call for a repeal of the law.
That's why we must tell Congress that enough is enough: no more attacks on our health care.
Today wraps up National Women's Health Week.
This week, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC endorsed President Obama's re-election campaign. The president is the only candidate in this race who will stand up for women's health, and we're going to give 110 percent to make sure he's re-elected.
Here at Blog for Choice, we've been sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.
The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, allows many small-business owners and self-employed Americans to get affordable health care for the first time. That's great news for Sarah in Minnesota:
I am a professional working woman who recently left a well-paying job to start my own consultancy and independent projects. As I build my contacts and résumé, I'm not making very much money. Thanks to a state-sponsored family-planning program, I'm able to access very low-cost birth control. This ability to prevent pregnancy while I build my financial stability for myself and my partner is an important part of my goals for a healthy, inspired work life. People might not connect these two things (birth control and financial security), but they are absolutely interdependent.
Millions of Americans' access to health care depends on keeping President Obama in the White House. It's as simple as that.
Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice America, www.ProChoiceAmerica.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women--and men--get quality, affordable health care.
The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. That's great news for Ted in Wisconsin and his kids:
After losing our employer-sponsored health insurance, our family of five was uninsured for months. We had so many pre-existing conditions, such as our kids' asthma, every private insurance company denied our application for coverage. I'm happy that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage my asthmatic children. It's terrifying to witness your children struggling to breathe, knowing there's no way to afford the preventative medication they desperately need. To overturn the health-care law would return our family to the days of this terrifying desperation. To deny even children the basic right of accessible and affordable health care would be a moral outrage.
Thanks to Obamacare, Ted and his children can breathe a little easier. Literally.
It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.
Obamacare's full name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Here's how the law makes health care affordable for Donna in Pennsylvania:
Without the Affordable Care Act my daughter, born with cerebral palsy, would not have health-care coverage after she finishes college. My family earns too much to be eligible for aid from the government or any charitable foundations (which means we earn over the poverty line). The Affordable Care Act will allow my daughter to be covered for an additional three years while she finds work and helps us pay down her tuition bills.
Obamacare means that, for millions of Americans, health care will be affordable for the very first time.
It's National Women's Health Week, and here at Blog for Choice, we're sharing stories about how Obamacare helps women get quality, affordable health care.
The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, allows young Americans to stay on their parents' health-insurance plan until age 26. That's great news for Susan in Florida and her daughter:
My daughter is currently under my husband's insurance, even though she's almost 25. She was a college student for six years and started working on a part-time basis, only to receive medical benefits whenever she is put on to full time. With her medical problems, the Affordable Care Act has been a blessing!
Obamacare truly is a blessing for Susan's daughter and other young people.
(As an aside, I turned 26 on Saturday. While I've got health insurance through NARAL Pro-Choice America now, there was a time after college when I did rely on my parents' health-insurance plan--and I needed it.)
Three cheers for Obamacare!
This week is National Women's Health Week, an opportunity to recognize the need for women to have control over their own health care and family-planning decisions.
And now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a Obamacare, we have a lot to celebrate when it comes to women's health.
Just how does Obamacare benefit women? Each day this week, we'll share a story here at Blog for Choice about how the law helps real women get quality, affordable health care.
Today, we're focusing on the no-cost birth control policy, which will give women near-universal contraceptive coverage. Let's hear from Amanda in Ohio:
At the age of 23 I was a working professional, but still unable to afford the cost of insurance. (At that time, young people stopped being covered by their parents' insurance soon after their college graduation.) Although I was working full-time as an intern to further my career, my employer did not cover my insurance, nor could I afford to pay it. Hence, I was not on birth control for two years before I decided to return to grad school. The institution I attended mandated that students without health care purchase insurance through the school, which I did. However, the full cost of birth control was not covered and I could not afford the monthly co-pay. At this point, I had been off birth control for at least three years.During the spring of my first year of grad school, I experienced a ruptured ovarian cyst. The pain associated with this was excruciating, beyond anything I have experienced before in my life. It actually felt like an organ had burst inside of me. I could barely walk, or even think, I was in so much pain. A friend rushed me to the emergency room, where I underwent eight hours of testing (x-rays, ultrasounds, etc.) before they could figure out what had happened since the amount of fluid and tissue from the ruptured cyst was so great. After the painful ordeal and recovery, I had to visit an ob-gyn where I learned that being on birth control actually prevented the formation of cysts. I subsequently went on birth control, though it meant I had to borrow money to pay for the copay.
Although I followed protocol and contacted my insurance prior to going to the emergency room, they still would not pay because I did not go to the university health center, which is not equipped for emergency situations. If it took a hospital eight hours to diagnose and treat me, I wonder how a health center without emergency treatment capabilities would have fared?
The insurance company still refuses to cover the service and the $5,000 has been in dispute for years, while negatively impacting my credit and ability to apply for loans.
Basically, because I could not afford insurance or birth control copay as a young woman in my early and mid twenties, (that would have prevented cysts from developing), I now face thousands of dollars of debt, bad credit, and a diminished quality of life as a result.
The new policy will prevent this situation from happening to other young women who dream of having both a professional career and a healthy body. I don't think that is too much to ask...
Fortunately for women like Amanda, Obamacare means that insurance plans will cover the medicine they need without a copay.
Unfortunately, anti-choice politicians like Mitt Romney are fighting tooth and nail to make it harder for women like Amanda to get the health care they need. They're pushing for the Supreme Court to overturn the health-care law, and if that doesn't work, they'll try to repeal it in Congress.
That would have devastating consequences for women like Amanda.
Check back here at Blog for Choice every day this week to read more personal stories!
I just got back from the Supreme Court.
This week, the justices are hearing arguments on challenges brought by private plaintiffs and state governments that want to overturn the health-care law that President Obama signed into law two years ago.
If they succeed, all of our work to make near-universal coverage of birth control for women a reality will be undone.
That's why hundreds of pro-choice Americans rallied in front of the Supreme Court this morning. We were there to protect our health care from extremists who want to take it away.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that women stand to lose a lot if the Court strikes down the law:
The attacks on the health-reform law are targeting women in the same way as the legislative attacks on contraception and ugly rhetoric that have made headlines in the last month. If the court strikes down this law, better coverage of prenatal care and contraceptives for millions of women could disappear. Insurance companies could go back to charging women more money for health-care services than men. That's why we must stand with President Obama and women across this country in supporting this important law.
The health-reform law is a big deal for millions of Americans.
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