Hollywood Popular Artists

Aug 1st 2012, 17:47

Starting today employers are going to be required to offer contraception coverage for their employees. This is something that's been pushed by President Obama and is part of the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as "Obamacare."

So are you going to be walking into your doctor's today and getting free birth control? Well, it depends. This is going into effect for people who have private health insurance, though it won't get into gear just yet for some people with private insurance. Some people will be able to get free birth control now, and some will have to wait a few months or even a couple years. The best and easiest way to find out what's going on for YOU is if you call your health insurance and ask. Confusing, I know.

But this is the day things start to get going, and it's estimated that this will affect 47 million women. While birth control is the main thing getting talked about, it's not the only thing going into effect today. Women will also have new access to prenatal care, exams to check for cancer and screenings to make sure a woman isn't suffering from domestic abuse.

The birth control part of the Affordable Care Act is getting mixed reactions, with many people loving it, many people hating it, and many people somewhere in the middle. Why do people feel the way they do?

People who support the new birth control rule say this is a big step forward for women's rights. They point out that things having to do with male sexuality, like Viagra, have been covered by insurance, so it would only be fair to cover things for women. Many women use birth control at some point and access to birth control allows them greater control over their lives and health. Many forms of birth control can be expensive, and women might not be able to get them otherwise.

People who are against this new policy often cite religious and moral reasons. They feel it's unfair for employers to give out birth control, particularly if the employers are morally opposed to birth control. (Religious organizations are exempt; in other words, they're under no obligation to dispense contraception.) People who are against this policy often say that people should pay for their own birth control and feel that their rights are being infringed by having to dispense something they might not believe in.

So there are widely differing opinions on this, with both sides getting pretty vocal. Do you think this legislation is fair, or would you go about it in a different way? You can always let politicians know by writing them letters, and, of course, by voting.

What do you think about employers covering 100% of contraception coverage?

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