Tag Archives: birth control

Hobby Lobby and the Birth Control Mandate

Hobby Lobby has been in the news quite a lot lately. The reason has to do with the court cases that the company has filed in regards to the birth control mandate. Here are the facts of the situation. * Hobby Lobby is a Christian chain of stores that sell craft supplies. There are 525 Hobby Lobby stores across the nation. The CEO is David Green. According to Forbes, David Green has a net worth of $4.5 billion. * As of August 1, 2012, all health plans are required to cover women’s preventative health care without charging for a co-pay, … Continue reading →

Supreme Court Denies Hobby Lobby’s Request

The Supreme Court has denied the request made by Hobby Lobby (and Mardel) to put a temporary hold on the portion of the Affordable Care Act called the birth control mandate. This means that Hobby Lobby will be expected to comply with the law when it goes into affect on January 1, 2013. Hobby Lobby is a chain of craft stores that is owned by the Green family. The CEO is David Green. He, and his family, are evangelical Christians. Mardel is an affiliated company of Hobby Lobby. It was founded by David Green’s son, Mart Green. This chain of … Continue reading →

Judge Blocks Missouri Law that Excludes Birth Control Coverage

A federal judge has blocked a law in Missouri that would require insurance companies to exclude coverage for birth control for moral objectors. That law runs contrary to the regulations of the Affordable Care Act. The judge notes insurers cannot follow both laws at the same time. In order to fully understand this situation, you need a little history. Part of the Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to cover preventative care without charging the consumer for a co-pay, coinsurance, or deductible. As of August 1, 2012, this includes all forms of birth control that have been approved by … Continue reading →

Hobby Lobby Asks Supreme Court for Injunction

The Green family, owners of both the Hobby Lobby and Mardel stores, have asked the Supreme Court of the United States for an injunction on the part of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to cover birth control. This comes after the family lost their case in a lower court. Here’s the basic facts about this situation. On August 1, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services added a list of women’s health care to the previous list of preventative care. All health plans must cover everything that has been officially identified as preventative care without charging … Continue reading →

Domino’s Pizza Founder Sues Over Birth Control Mandate

The founder of Domino’s Pizza, Tom Monaghan, is suing the federal government over the portion of the Affordable Care Act that requires companies to include coverage for birth control in employer sponsored health insurance plans. A YouGov Brand Index poll notes that consumer’s perception drops when business owners complain about health insurance coverage requirements for workers. Here’s the basic facts of the situation. On August 1, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services added several women’s preventative services into the previously described list of preventative care. All health plans purchased after that date must include preventative care to consumers … Continue reading →

Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has proposed a new idea. They say oral contraceptives should be made available over-the-counter without the need for a prescription. How would this affect your health insurance coverage? In August of 2011, the Affordable Care Act was expanded to include the coverage of women’s preventative health services. This means that all health insurance plans must cover the cost of those services, including all FDA approved forms of contraception, without charging a co-pay or deductible. All health plans, whether they are individual or an employer sponsored health plan, must cover birth control in this … Continue reading →

The Big Snip

Vasectomy, the very word strikes fear into the heart of some men. ‘No way!’ many men say, ‘anyone’s giving me the snip.’ They seem to equate such an operation with a loss of manhood. It’s okay for women to take the pill, or use other forms of contraception or even have their tubes tied if the couple has reached the decision that no more children is the best option, but no way anyone is getting near them for any operation. On the other hand I heard a male minister say one time if it was the best and safest option … Continue reading →

Is Menstrual Suppression Risky?

You’ve seen the ads, a smiling, peppy and attractive woman skips merrily about her day. She smiles at the camera and says, “Who says you have to have a monthly period?” To which to my husband’s amusement, I shout, “Uh, nature?” Sometimes, after the commercial has appeared for the seventh time in one half-hour program, I’ll switch it up with my vocabulary, but you get the point. Menstrual suppression occurs when a woman takes hormones (usually extra birth control pills) to suppress her natural menstrual cycle, eliminating most of her periods. Normal birth control includes a week of placebo pills … Continue reading →

Is Birth Control Sabotaging Your Fitness Goals?

If you are using oral birth control, it may be, without you even realizing it. A new study found that oral contraceptive use impairs muscle gains in young women, and is associated with lower hormone levels. That’s a shocking find, especially for active young women, who are looking to improve their fitness performance while taking oral birth control. Researchers at Texas A&M University and the University of Pittsburgh studied 73 healthy women between the ages of 18-31 for 10 weeks. During the study the women were broken up into two groups and completed whole-body resistance exercise training. The first group … Continue reading →

Abortion: An Assault on the Defenseless

I was deeply touched by the article in this month’s Ensign written by Elder Russell M. Nelson entitled, “Abortion: An Assault on the Defenseless.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always stood against abortion, and in this article, Elder Nelson reiterates the Church’s policy and reminds us of the sanctity of life. He begins by mentioning the statistics of the men and women who were killed in action in World War I and II. Together, those wars saw over thirty million soldiers felled in defense of our country. That is a lot of death. And yet, today’s … Continue reading →