One of the most pressing issues in American Health Policy is going to be whether contraceptive care (birth control and family planning options) is going to be covered by government health insurance? This issue has come to the forefront in many conservative states such as Texas who have used legislation to defund Planned Parenthood to promote more anti-abortion and anti-contraception funding measures. What has happened as a result is that thousands of women have been left without family planning care who cannot afford it. The article chosen is called Four Key Issues in Health Law That Are As Relevant as Ever in 2016 and highlights the issue of Contraceptive Coverage Mandates by the Affordable Care Act, (Fernandez Lynch, H., 2016). The Contraceptive Coverage Mandate is being challenged by many as violating the freedom of religion principle as outlined in the First Amendment due to the provision forcing Christian clinics to provide free procedures and preventative contraception that counters many fundamental principles of Christianity, (Fernandez Lynch, H., 2016).
There is an enormous religious undercurrent within the more conservative parts of the United States that are strongly against contraception and abortions. This creates an enormous issue when contemplating a uniform nationwide healthcare that clinics are required to accept. On the liberal side, women want the right to have government cover this care and receive procedures and on the conservative side, they want the government to stay out of it and have women not able to get abortions or contraceptive care for the rationale that it is their job to promote the Bible’s wishes. Thus, it will be fascinating to see how this debate evolves with the implementation of the first attempt for the United States to nationalize health care and how that will impact more conservative sectors of the United States on the issues of contraception and abortion coverage for those who cannot afford those services on their own.
References
Fernandez Lynch, H. (2016). Four Key Issues in Health Law That Are As Relevant as Ever in 2016. Health Affairs Blog. Retrieved from: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2016/01/20/four-key-issues-in-health-law-that-are-as-relevant-as-ever-in-2016/.
