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No LGBT Provisions in House Health Care Bill


HEALTHCARE X390 (PHOTOS.COM) | ADVOCATE.COM

The House passed a historic bill that could change the American health care system, but specific provisions for LGBT citizens were not included in the final legislation.
 
The 219-212 vote came on Sunday evening after months of lobbying and heated debate in Congress as well as across the country.

Provisions proposed by lesbian congresswoman Tammy Baldwin were not included in the final version of the bill, although they had been approved in the original House legislation. Her additions were banning discrimination against LGBT people, the Early Treatment for HIV Act, ending taxation of domestic-partner health insurance, and launching a program to study LGBT health and discrimination.

The bill passed Sunday evening will have some relief for people with HIV on Medicare who have to buy expensive medication, according to Keen News Service.  

The health care bill, as passed on Sunday, would extend coverage to 32 million uninsured people in the country and would require insurance companies to cover people despite preexisting conditions, the Los Angeles Times reports. It was also require new taxes and cuts in Medicare. The plan is projected to cost $940 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Dr. C. Wolferin
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 8:54:03 PM
    Hometown: Detroit

    Comment:

    HIV is not a gay only disease, nor do you get HIV spontaneously from having monogamous sex with a spouse or partner who is HIV negative. It is just as easy to contract HIV if you are heterosexual as if you are homosexual. In order to contract it you have to have bodily fluid exposure to a person who has the virus. Furthermore homosexuality is as much of a lifestyle as heterosexuality; when compared to opposite sex couples and heterosexuals, homosexual people (both male and female) are generally the same despite a few differences in personality and brain development. This idea that gay people are more promiscuous, and engage in frequent intercourse is simply false. There are many same sex couples who do not have HIV and are discriminated against because of their inborn sexual orientation. The people with the lowest rate of HIV are lesbians, who are "also" homosexual. Explain why they should not be covered, when your logic is based on the false idea of gay equals HIV infected? Dr. C. W.

  • Name: angie
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 10:47:16 AM
    Hometown: LITTLE ROCK

    Comment:

    If a person lives a high risk lifestyle that could cause Aids then I don't believe that the consequences of their behavior should be covered under a policy. Same with smoking, Same with obesity and people who sit around eating cake all day, etc. Do IV drugs.........get Hepatits or AIDS......sorry. Unprotected Gay sex.............AIDS.......sorry. Protect yourself and then medical costs will be contained. I have a gay cousin who is married to his lover. I think that he is a great man and love him dearly. BUT if they don't protect themselves from the high risk of homosexuality then who's fault is that?

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 10:40:13 AM
    Hometown: New Hope PA

    Comment:

    Maybe if the LGBT congress people had made a big stink like the anti-abortion congressmen did, the LGBT specific reforms would have been taken more seriously by the Democratic leadership and would have been included in the reform bill. As usual, LGBT votes are taken for granted, and we are easily thrown under the bus. I understand that there is an LGBT Caucus in the House of Representatives, formed in 2008 by Barney Frank, consisting of around 60 gay friendly congress people. Obama never met with this LGBT Caucus during his negotiations about the final health care changes. The LGBT Caucus should get more aggressive in pushing the LGBT causes.

  • Name: Michael Buchanan
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 9:01:04 AM
    Hometown: LA

    Comment:

    The lack of comments here confirms my suspicion that most LGBTs have given up on Obama and the democrats which means we have lost. Our only hope is the courts. And looking at the decisions coming out of the supreme court lately, I'm losing hope there too.

  • Name: deepstealth
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 12:27:25 AM
    Hometown: hell city texas

    Comment:

    Looks like I get to be the first to comment. So, does this mean I still shouldnt go to the doctor for my blood tests, and prescriptions I cant afford? Do I still have to tell them I had a hysterectomy rather than the truth to protect myself? This really does me no good in that regard.



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