Q: What about contraceptives and family planning?
"What about contraceptives and family planning?" This question was being debated on the Diane Rehm show yesterday, and I thought I'd throw in my two cents about how contraceptives and family planning work under the P.S.Y.C.H. plan.
Currently, because contraceptives and family planning are being covered by the third party insurance model, every person in the "risk pool" that pays into the system has a "right" to voice their opinion about what their risk pool covers. This leads to really sticky situations, including the case that will go before the Supreme Court next year regarding religious institutions having to pay for contraceptive coverage when they are opposed to it.
In a sense, both sides have cogent arguments:
The people who are paying into the insurance pool should have access to those things they believe will further their health.
Alternatively the people/businesses that are paying into the pool should be able to dictate what restrictions to have so that their moneyed investments (premiums) fall in line with their beliefs.
Which all results in a giant cluster that leaves us angry and bitter with each other and takes up valuable Supreme Court time.
P.S.Y.C.H., on the other hand, promotes personal responsibility and unlinks us from the decisions of others. It respects an individual's decision to seek out affordable individualized health care, which includes contraceptives and family planning, on their time and their dime. Because we are no longer in "risk pools" we don't share liability or have to compromise on our religious beliefs because they are individual in nature and protected under our First Amendment rights.
For example, Hobby Lobby doesn't want to pay for contraception for its employees since it's a private company. Under P.S.Y.C.H., since Hobby Lobby won't have to pay for health insurance premiums, their employees will be able to obtain family planning and contraception on their own.
How do we make it affordable? Well, businesses will have to increase wages to recruit and retain the best. And with people making more money, they'll have the means to spend it how they see fit.
I love it when a plan comes together.