Tag: Donald

Following the repeated failures to officially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump has taken the task of unraveling his predecessor’s signature legislation into his own hands—and has been looking for ways to incrementally undermine health care for millions of Americans.

One of the most drastic measures came earlier this month when the President took action to roll back the ACA’s birth control mandate and make it easier for employers to exempt contraception from their health insurance offerings on the grounds of religious or moral exemption. In their quest to make make birth control less accessible, the administration has said that it’s unsure if birth control decreases unplanned pregnancies (it does), it’s concerned that BC promotes “riskier” sex (it doesn’t), and warned of the negative side effects of certain contraception (which have been greatly exaggerated).

Through this murky reasoning, the White House has put coverage for the 55 million women who depend on the birth control mandate in jeopardy. Ninety-nine percent of women have used at least one type of contraception in their life, but out-of-pocket costs can prove to be a major financial burden. According to a 2010 study completed by Planned Parenthood, about a third of women struggled with covering these co-pays.

If you, like millions of other women, realize just how detrimental Trump’s actions could be, all hope is not lost. Before Trump’s proposed plan can go into effect, the Department of Health and Human Services is required to have an open comment period and give the public a chance to share their thoughts on the new rule. And this is where you (with some help from the Women’s Equality Center) come in.

WEC just launched their Keep Birth Control Copay Free campaign to flood HHS with plenty of opposition to Trump’s rule. Not only can you send the department a pointed, pre-written note outlining how bad this proposal would be, you can send Donald Trump the bill for your own birth control with a handy invoice generator. The tool automatically pulls in the average cost of whatever birth control you use—there are seven options to choose from, including the pill and IUDs—and gives you a chance to send it along to the President along with a message telling HHS not to go forward with the plan.

Right now, the teen pregnancy rate is at an all-time low. Unintended pregnancies are at a 30-year low. Abortion rates have hit a 40-year low and are continuing to decline. All of these stats can be linked to more accessible birth control—and these trends will likely reverse if contraception is made less attainable.

Beyond this, Trump’s actions could have wide-reaching socioeconomic ramifications. When women have more control over their own reproductive health care–including having access to birth control—they take better care of themselves and their families. They can pursue higher education. They can advance in their careers. They can be more active participants in the economy. If they’re denied access to affordable birth control, the effects could be overwhelming.

“Women are tired of footing the bill for male politicians’ attacks on essential reproductive health care,” Amy Runyon-Harms, the Keep Birth Control Copay Free campaign coordinator, told Glamour in a statement. “Together, we are pushing back against President Trump’s dangerous political decision to reduce access to birth control and today we are sending him the bill. Copay-free birth control saves Americans at least $1.4 billion each year. And we figure, with Donald Trump’s frequent proclamations that he’s ‘very rich,’ he shouldn’t have a problem absorbing the cost.”

Comments will be accepted until December 5, so go ahead, send Trump your thoughts—and make sure to send him your bill, too.

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