Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
In case you haven’t heard, President Barack Obama declared the week of May 12-18 to be National Women’s Health Week.
“Three years ago, I signed the Affordable Care Act – reform that brought about a new era of equality in health care and gave women unprecedented control over their health,” Obama said in the proclamation. “Under the law, women will no longer face higher insurance premiums because of their gender. It will be illegal for insurers to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions like pregnancy or cancer.”
He continued: “Already, 47 million women have gained access to preventive services at no out-of-pocket cost, including well-woman visits, domestic violence screenings and counseling, and contraceptive care.”
The proclamation goes on to encourage women to improve their physical and mental health and lower the risk of certain diseases. They’re asked to visit their doctor regularly, get preventive screenings, eat healthy and stay active, and avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and texting while driving.
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, working mothers no longer have to choose between getting essential care and paying their bills. Women no longer have to delay mammograms just because money is tight. And young people can stay on their parent’s health insurance until age 26, so they no longer have to worry about how to afford health care when they are just starting out.”
What the president doesn’t mention in his proclamation are the 20 new or higher taxes in ObamaCare of which several will hurt women the most.
Writing for CNSNews.com, Grover Norquist cites the ObamaCare Flexible Spending Account Tax which is used by 30-35 million Americans. Instead of being able to use this unlimited pre-tax account at work to pay for basic medical needs, it will now be capped at $2,500.
“Now, a mother looking to sock away extra money to pay for braces will find herself quickly hitting this new cap, meaning she would have to pony up some or all of the cost with after-tax dollars,” Norquist writes.
These spending accounts are also being hit by ObamaCare’s Medicine Cabinet Tax which won’t allow families to use them to purchase over-the-counter medications.
“Women often rely on over-the-counter medicines to get themselves and their families through the colds, fevers, and aches and pains of daily family life. To raise taxes on busy moms makes absolutely no sense,” Norquist points out.
ObamaCare’s Individual Mandate Non-Compliance Tax, which starts in 2014, will impose an income surtax on anyone who does not buy “qualifying” health insurance as defined by the Obama Administration.
“The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that six million American families will be liable for the tax, and as pointed out by the Associated Press: ‘Most would be in the middle class’.”
Yet another way women are being hurt is by the 10 percent excise tax on Indoor Tanning which will be imposed under ObamaCare. This tax was slipped into the bill by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in the middle of the night and replaces the infamous “Botax” on cosmetic surgery.
“This petty, burdensome, nanny-state tax affects both the business owner and the end user,” Norquist explains. “Industry estimates from the Indoor Tanning Association show that 30 million Americans visit an indoor tanning facility in a given year, and over 50 percent of salon owners are women.”
Of course, this administration’s focus on women health has always been largely about their “reproductive health”, which is why they don’t list the popping of estrogen-laced Class 1 carcinogens – aka the Pill – into women as an “unhealthy behavior.” Tell that to the thousands of mothers who are right now suing the manufacturers of drugs such as Yaz, Nuva-Ring, RU-486 and a host of other “reproductive health” products because of injury and/or death to either themselves or their daughters. Maybe the 14 million who contract sexually transmitted diseases have something to say about how “healthy” is the promiscuous lifestyle that demands the use of these products.
The sad thing about this myopic presentation of women’s health is that too many women believe it’s healthy to be sexually active, on the pill and using abortion or Plan B as a back-up plan. They know little or nothing about the risks, thanks to the anti-life lobbyists who make sure the political class never tells women the other side of the story.
A much better idea for this week would be to give women access to equal information about the health care services they’re receiving – and just how much it’s really costing them.
Click here for more info about the dangers of contraception.
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