Georgia Republican Senators are sponsoring SR 828, a resolution condemning the Affordable Health Care Act for requiring religiously affiliated health care institutions to cover birth control. While that may not seem like declaring war on religion, what is interesting is that it is condemning parts of the AHCA that Georgia has codified in its own law.
The Republican argument is that Catholic (and other religious institutions) should not have to cover birth control in their insurance plans. The Catholic Church believes that contraception is a grave sin. They don’t support condoms, birth control, or other methods of family planning.
However, what these ignorant Georgia Republicans do not realize is that the same policy is codified in Georgia:
Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 33-24-59.6:
(c) Every health benefit policy that is delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in this state or approved for issuance or renewal in this state by the Commissioner on or after July 1, 1999, which provides coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis shall provide coverage for any prescribed drug or device approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use as a contraceptive. This Code section shall not apply to limited benefit policies described in paragraph (4) of subsection (e) of Code Section 33-30-12. Likewise, nothing contained in this Code section shall be construed to require any insurance company to provide coverage for abortion.
(d) No insurer shall impose upon any person receiving prescription contraceptive benefits pursuant to this Code section any:
(1) Copayment, coinsurance payment, or fee that is not equally imposed upon all individuals in the same benefit category, class, coinsurance level or copayment level, receiving benefits for prescription drugs; or
(2) Reduction in allowable reimbursement for prescription drug benefits.
Yes, you read that right. That is the same policy the Republicans are condemning. If you provide insurance in the state of Georgia, you have to cover birth control. No exceptions.
This law applies to Saint Joseph’s Hospital, and Saint Mary’s Hospital, both Catholic affiliated hospitals.
So what we see is that Republicans are quick to condemn policies because they are from Obama; however, they do not care about the actual issue of religious freedom. If they did, they would not allow the very same policy to stay on the books in Georgia.
look at this
[...] But over at Georgia Politico, Dustin Baker notes the irony that Georgia already has long had an insurance mandate almost identical to the one on the federal level. Specifically, Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 33-24-59.6: (c) Every health benefit policy that is delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in this state or approved for issuance or renewal in this state by the Commissioner on or after July 1, 1999, which provides coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis shall provide coverage for any prescribed drug or device approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use as a contraceptive. [...]
[...] But over at Georgia Politico, Dustin Baker notes the irony that Georgia already has long had an insurance mandate almost identical to the one on the federal level. Specifically, Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 33-24-59.6: (c) Every health benefit policy that is delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in this state or approved for issuance or renewal in this state by the Commissioner on or after July 1, 1999, which provides coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis shall provide coverage for any prescribed drug or device approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use as a contraceptive. [...]
[...] position on contraception and religious organizations. Georgia Liberal Politico notes that the state appears to have the same policy. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty states not including Georgia [...]
Shhhhhhh, keep it secret already. If they hear about this, you know they’ll try and get rid of this and with the power they have they could do it. Please let the sleeping dogs lie.