Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
The Governor of Louisiana makes the case in today's Wall Street Journal:
Let's ask the question: Why do women have to go see a doctor before they buy birth control? There are two answers. First, because big government says they should, even though requiring a doctor visit to get a drug that research shows is safe helps drive up health-care costs. Second, because big pharmaceutical companies benefit from it. They know that prices would be driven down if the companies had to compete in the marketplace once their contraceptives were sold over the counter...
...Over-the-counter contraception would be easier to obtain if not for some unfortunate aspects of President Obama's health-care law. One of the most egregious elements of that law is the hampering of Health Savings Accounts, which have become increasingly popular in recent years because they give Americans choices in how to spend their money on health care. By removing the ability of citizens to use their HSAs to purchase over-the-counter medicine tax-free if they don't have a doctor's prescription, President Obama hurt many middle-class families who counted on using their HSA dollars every flu season to take care of their children. Health Savings Accounts should cover over-the-counter purchases, and those should include contraception.
It's time to put purchasing power back in the hands of consumers—not employers, not pharmaceutical companies, and not bureaucrats in Washington. The great thing about America is that power doesn't come from government, but from people. It's time to reclaim that power. It's time to stop government from dividing people or insulting deeply held religious beliefs, and return the country to the path that has always made it great—one where Americans respect and value their fellow citizens, no matter their creed...
Now this is refreshing. A little political savvy turns these wedge issues back on the Democrats. Make it about personal liberty. It's also provocative and gets the mind-numb mainstream media interested.
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Comments:
May '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Is that different from a Squishy RINO?
And do you like your Squishy RINO's with Jelly, Chocolate or Butter Cream filling?
And are they a Gateway Drug?
Rob Long
Mine too. And, um, as might have been revealed earlier, I'm a RINO squish. · 17 minutes ago
Apr '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Intentionally or not, requiring a doctor's prescription visit does raise costs. One, you and your insurance company pay for a Dr.'s visit. Two, everyone else in the insurance pool pays a little more on average b/c more women are visiting the doctor.
Also, maybe if doctors liked the business side a little more they would find more ways to cut costs and improve quality. But for that we'd need to have things like a competitive healthcare market.
Nov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Rob Long
Mine too. And, um, as might have been revealed earlier, I'm a RINO squish. · 25 minutes ago
Don't give him too much credit. He signed a pretty [crappy] school choice thing into law.
Mar '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Why do we need the goverment to protect us. As long as the drugs have a big warning label do not use with-out professional medical advice (if there ia major side effect to the medicen) lets do this with all medical drugs besides the addicting ones.
Edited on December 14, 2012 at 11:20pmNov '10
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Fred Cole
Rob Long
Mine too. And, um, as might have been revealed earlier, I'm a RINO squish. · 25 minutes ago
Don't give him too much credit. He signed a pretty [crappy] school choice thing into law. · 2 hours ago
School choice is nonlibertarian? Now I'm utterly confused.
Aug '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Sunny Optimism - I would tend to agree with you, but in that case how and why is the full personal responsibility argument valid when it comes to other areas of health care, or buying health insurance?
Nov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Lucy Pevensie
Fred Cole
Rob Long
Mine too. And, um, as might have been revealed earlier, I'm a RINO squish. · 25 minutes ago
Don't give him too much credit. He signed a pretty [crappy] school choice thing into law. · 2 hours ago
School choice is nonlibertarian? Now I'm utterly confused. · 3 hours ago
If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with creationism.
Oct '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Oral contraceptives are not a trivial thing to be taking. Asking doctors to explain what occurs to women curious about the pill, the morning after pill, etc., is not unreasonable. Furthermore, all oral contraceptives for women are to some degree abortifacients, even the pill. Many pro-life women take the pill not knowing this, so bad is education on this point. There's no way practicing Catholics can support Jindal here, obviously. It is saddening that this suggestion is coming from the governor of Louisiana, what that says about the once proud Catholic legacy of that state. Ironically, Jindal says it's time "to stop government from dividing people or insulting deeply held religious beliefs" on his way to doing exactly that.
Edited on December 15, 2012 at 6:48amNov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Lucy Pevensie
Schoolchoiceisnonlibertarian? NowI'mutterlyconfused.
No. Not at all. I'm all over school choice. I'm just not crazy about the system they created in Louisiana.
My preference is a tax deductible scholarship system over a voucher system with public money.
The problem with a voucher system is that you have to decide who qualifies to get the vouchers, and not only do you have to create a bureaucracy to do that, and distribute the money, but also who gets the money is equally contentious. And somehow, somebody is going to end up being taxed to pay for teaching something they have an objection to.
Does the school dedicated to teaching Biblical literalism get funded?
Does the "school" that's just a warehouse where kids watch "educational" videos all day get funded?
Does the madrassa get funded?
Nov '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Contrast that with the system in Arizona (I think). They created a system where you could make a tax deductible foundation, and that foundation gives scholarships to students.
The foundations decide what schools get scholarships and they respond to their donors. No bureaucracy is needed to decide what qualifies and best of all (for nutjobs like me) donations are direct, the cash isn't sent to the govt then sent out to others.
Dec '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Couldn't agree more with Bobby and it's perfect for conservatives. Get the free market involved, lower costs, and it gets rid of the "Republicans hate women because they don't want to provide free birth control to everyone" argument. Can't subsidize it through health insurance if it's over the counter.
May '11
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Hi, Ken,
As a practicing Catholic who upholds the teaching on contraception, I don't see how my faith bars me from supporting Jindal. Please explain.
Ken Ramsey: Oral contraceptives are not a trivial thing to be taking. Asking doctors to explain what occurs to women curious about the pill, the morning after pill, etc., is not unreasonable. Furthermore, all oral contraceptives for women are to some degree abortifacients, even the pill. Many pro-life women take the pill not knowing this, so bad is education on this point. There's no way practicing Catholics can support Jindal here, obviously. It is saddening that this suggestion is coming from the governor of Louisiana, what that says about the once proud Catholic legacy of that state. Ironically, Jindal says it's time "to stop government from dividing people or insulting deeply held religious beliefs" on his way to doing exactly that. · 15 hours ago
Edited 15 hours ago
Oct '12
Re: Bobby Jindal: Make Birth Control Over the Counter
Fred Cole
SunnyOptimism: OK, I can't let this one fly without a rebuttal.
Gov Jindal's comments are totally irresponsible from a medical standpoint. A relation of mine is an OB/GYN and birth control pills ARE NOT aspirin!!!
They sure aren't. If I were gonna use an IUD, I'd want to consult with my doctor first. (For more reasons than one.) But it's not about not consulting with doctors, it's about requiringpermission from someone to get them.
Doctors prescribe plenty of OTC meds (aspirin, for example). Others legally require a prescription, written permission from a doctor, for a pharmacist to legally dispense.
Jindal is right, this adds to costs.
I think we should extend it to all drugs though, not just birth control. · December 14, 2012 at 9:46am
Subject to the condition that anyone who chooses to take drugs formerly available only by prescription without consulting a physician waives (1) any claims against the seller(s) and manufacturer(s) and (2) any eligibility for benefits from government programs arising from the decision to do so?