Discrimination is OK if you’re a man.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the congressional testimony of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius one congresswoman made her voice heard about how unfair the Affordable Care Act is for men. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) questioned Sebelius about maternity coverage that is included as part of the legislation and whether it’s discriminatory to men who will never use it but will be forced to pay for it. Ellmers asked, “As far as the essential health benefits, correct me if I’m wrong, do men not have to buy maternity coverage?”
Sebelius responded that, “Policies will cover maternity coverage for the young and healthy. 30-year-olds will have a choice also of a catastrophic plan which has no maternity coverage.
Ellmers went on to ask, “The catastrophic, but the men are required to purchase maternity.” She added, “We’re forcing them to buy things that they will never need.”
Sebelius shot back, “The individual coverage does cover families. Men often do need coverage for their spouses and their families, yes.”
Ellmers finished by saying that a, “Single male age 32 does not need maternity coverage. To your knowledge, has a man ever delivered a baby?”
Social democrat website Salon.com gleefully confirmed that this was indeed a discriminatory transfer of wealth to women writing, “A big part of what the Affordable Care Act does is to recognize that treating cancer and bearing children are expensive but common things our society places a great deal of value on, and to defray the costs of doing them broadly, even if they’re sex-specific.” The column goes on to say, “Before Obamacare, it made sense actuarially for insurers to charge women more than men for coverage on the individual market. The fact that women, rather than men, incur maternity costs was a big part of their justification, though women were also generally charged more for equivalent coverage. By prohibiting the practice, Obamacare doesn’t just strike a blow for moral reasoning. It effectuates a billion-dollar transfer of wealth from men to women.”
