Contraceptive Costs for All! Use by Some!

There has been much warranted discussion this week with regard to the federal Department of Health and Human Services rejecting employer conscious related requests not to provide contraception, abortifacients and sterilization coverage “free” within insurance offerings. Literal churches are exempt but religious affiliated institutions including hospitals, universities and agencies are not and have one year to comply. HHS’s decision is abhorrent but predictable because those who made the decision don’t understand or respect the objections and appreciate that allowing exceptions can lead to a collapse of the system that they impose in that it relies on many not using the stated benefits, while having access to them, in order to cover the costs for those who do.

And those costs are what make this dictatorial edict even more erroneous. Cloaked under the presumptively incontrovertible auspices of ‘women’s health’ it dictates that erstwhile private, employer provided health insurance in the United States of America must offer contraception, abortifacients and sterilization coverage “free” of charge and with no increase in premium. However, no matter the power of the federal government’s figurative magic wand, tangible goods are not “free”, and their costs will simply be shifted to others by virtue of lessened coverage. Those with less politically favorable conditions will be forced to pay more for their own health needs in order to pay for what the government decides should be “free”. And those who have entirely valid objections to that coverage will be coerced, by the power of the federal government, into violating their convictions in order to advance the ruse of “free” benefits to favored political constituencies.