So why do these guys think they can figure out health care policy? Here’s Pete Olson, Republican from Texas, objecting to some simple provisions in health care. He thinks he shouldn’t have to pay for prenatal and maternity care.
I have some concerns because, one thing, they still guarantee coverage for ten essential conditions,Olson said,and one of those conditions—this is care for all,includes you and me—it’s prenatal care. …I think we all have what we call an X chromosome. You, me, JP, Tom and Chuck have those, which means we can’t have a baby. Why do we have to pay for that coverage that we can’t use?
That is absurdly idiotic.
May I point out that Olson wouldn’t be here without a mother, and that he directly benefited from the care given to his mother at his birth? He may not give birth, but jesus fuck, he was born. Also, does he think males have nothing to do with pregnancy?
The whole point of insurance is to spread the risk around a larger pool, so of course you pay for conditions you don’t have or may never have. I don’t have cancer, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t chip in to the pool to help those who do. I also don’t have an appendix, so can I ask to have my insurance payments reduced since I’ll never get appendicitis?
That may be a bad example. These morons probably would think that way.
That X chromosome comment…christ, that’s such low-hanging fruit. He just flunked high school biology. We all have X chromosomes. About half of us have Y chromosomes, which are a triggering component for a cascade of developmental changes that render males incapable of becoming pregnant, OK?
I find myself exasperated at these ignorant incompetents in government. There is no knowledge standard to get elected, and once they’re in, they aren’t assigned to committee based on their abilities.
#ProLife
These people are so selfish and self-centered, they’d kill their previous self from yesterday for a buck.
This is unfair. Insurance has only been thoroughly understand for a hundred years or so. You can’t expect them to understand anything that hasn’t been known for at least 500 years.
Funny how that argument magically doesn’t apply to erectile dysfunction…
Didn’t see that one coming. So I had a nice laugh today … followed by a prolonged feeling of dread.
There ought to be some patriotic country song that we all sing during the explosions this Fourth of July, with the title (and heartfelt refrain) “I got mine, fuck you.” No doubt that could be cranked out in time; I’m sure it could work with God Bless America changes.
Anyway, that pretty much sums up their whole worldview. We might convince them to eliminate sewer systems, because they have no need for such things, as all they do is eat their own shit.
I’ve got to wonder if any insurance experts were consulted, or even a single brand new agent who knew anything about their job…. Can’t imagine anything like that happened. Dunning-Kruger explains some part of this I guess, but why do certain people seem to be so profoundly and willfully ignorant of so many things all at once? Or if this is just run-of-the-mill meaningless bullshit, why would they think it’s beneficial to act like it in front of the rest of us?
Also: the government should only build and maintain roads that I drive on.
@chrislawson
While you’re driving on it, too!
No, you can’t have an abortion. It’s a matter of public interest and we’re going to decide for you.
Medical expenses? No, having a baby is a purely private decision and we won’t pay for it.
Like the Constitution? Hey, you’re right, that works.
Said every deadbeat dad everywhere.
I think it’s important to remember that these ideas aren’t honest but misguided beliefs; they are talking points hatched in PR companies and right wing think tanks, paid for by dark money from the Koch brothers and their ilk. They didn’t just arise from ignorance, but as tools for persuading the public, a large percentage of whom are deplorably ignorant and inured to being lied to and manipulated, with the ultimate goal of shoveling the country’s wealth into the pockets of the wealthy parasitic class. Right wing apologists can’t be persuaded by argument or evidence. If one tool becomes ineffective, they put it down and try another. The evil is far more pernicious than mere ignorance.
If I may borrow the words of another Paul: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world…” Gotta gird up the loins.
Or more than 6000.
Forget high school. My son just finished seventh grade and he knows what’s wrong with the X chromosome comment…
You’d think that the vocal anti-abortion folks would be the first to defend pre-natal care funding.
Someone should remind these idiots from Texas that their state has the highest maternal mortality rates:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/maternal-mortality-trends-double-texas/index.html
That’s ridiculous. If I were more sure about how they’d respond to it I’d bring up prostate cancer. Which should probably scare the hell out of them because they’re more at risk being older.
“Sorry kids, Grandpa has to die a slow and painful death because one day, JoJo the wonder monkey dressed in a suit and went to D.C. Everyone was so impressed that he could talk that they just went along with all sorts of silly things he said. Poor people? Screw ’em! It’s those unfortunate rich people that need our help, they have so much more to look after. Any poor person can easily handle the limited material possessions they have on hand. Women? Let them pay for whatever happens with their lady parts. It’s all their fault and responsibility anyway. But someone else pointed out it wasn’t fair for women to pay for men if men weren’t paying for women, so… try and smile for Grandpa.”
consciousnessrazor:
“I got mine, fuck you.”
I know a couple country musicians who could knock that completely out of the ballpark, OMG, possibly into low-earth orbit.
The Rep is one patronizing SOB. I listened to the whole clip and later on he starts calling Pelosi, ‘honey’. At the end of the day all I can say is he represents the worst of the christian white man glorying in his own ignorance and arrogance.
Only if you were naive enough to believe that the forced-birthers are out to protect fetuses, rather than to control and punish women.
Even more proof that “prolife”ers don’t care about “life” and are only using those words as camouflage for “Control Women”.
This latest announcement is essentially saying “women must give birth to every pregnancy (as punishment) and pay for its medical coverage herself”. IE “she must do it with no financial help from anyone else, bearing all the expenses herself”.
~45 called the bill “mean” with no explanation. Seems he called it that as it did not meet his expection of “CRUEL”
(being the Evil A-hole he is so bigly)
This guy, quoted in the OP, is trying to fill in the blanks that ~45 leaves, due the length limitations of his Twittted [sic] directives.
—- [speaking in sidevoice] #resist the delay in the vote on this bill is only a brief delay, victory cannot yet be declared. resistance must be continued until this bill is soundly defeated and hits incinerator. visit 5calls.org :-(
Ding! ding! ding! We have a winner!
By his same argument, he need not pay for surgery on his brain since he doesn’t have one.
FACTS:
This whole mess is easily explainable in two simple and easy steps:
1. The congress member in question is from Tejas.
2. The congress member in question is a Republican.
QED.
I mean – these are the people Ken Ham is playing to you with his whole “The first dog evolves and now he’s gotta find a female dog” schtick. They see themselves as separate from any part of humanity that’s not what they view as Men(tm).
consciousness razor,
Here you go (more or less): I Got Mine.
I don’t particularly care that Olson confused X and Y chromosomes but I don’t think he’s thought this through. If pregnancy care isn’t mandatory then young people will buy the insurance that includes pregnancy care (because they plan on using it) and not buy the insurance that includes cancer care, cardiovascular care, etc. because as young people they don’t expect to need it for quite a while. So all those $$$ that Olson saves on not buying maternity/pregnancy care will be offset by the increase in rates for coverage of all the medical problems for which the middle age/elderly are at higher risk.
I think Republicans have a point. The costs of medical care are rising at an unsustainable rate. The problem is that their solution reduces costs by reducing coverage.
“Pull the lader up, I’m alright” – every Republican.
He’s got a point. Men shouldn’t have to pay for care for women’s body parts. And women should not have to pay for care for men’s body parts. Maybe his doctors are billing for the wrong procedures? I’ve looked at every Explanation of Benefits (I think?) that shows what I’ve been charged for. I’ve never been charged for anything relating to vaginal care, or uterine or cervical care, etc. My wife has not been charged for anything related to testicular, penile, or prostate care. Well, since our finances are shared, I guess we each paid part for the other’s care, but that’s completely different.
He fails to understand that he’s not paying for any care. The insurance company is paying for the care. As chris61@25 said, do they really want to offer piecemeal insurance packages that either do or don’t cover erectile dysfunction, maternity care, cancer care, other individual issues? I can guarantee that ED insurance would be a hell of a lot more expensive than maternity insurance, seeing as a lot more people are getting pregnant than buying Viagra. Even though Viagra still makes a lot of money.
This is speculation I admit, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there actually were some people with an Y chromosome and the capability of becoming pregnant. Nature works in ways more mysterious than God’s.
No matter how I think about the Huffington Post, this piece expresses my sentiments exactly.
PZ, I made exactly the same points the other day elsewhere — except now I’m wondering if his mother (and her offspring) perhaps DID lack prenatal care. It might explain a certain lack of intellectual development.