I just had to share this article from The Huffington Post.
The practice being discussed here in this article is allowed to be practiced by insurance companies licensed in the state of North Carolina. That practice: not covering victims of domestic violence because domestic violence is a "pre-existing condition".
We have all been watching the rancorous debate over whether or not our health care system should be reformed. I am sure we all have opinions as to what should be done. I am not going to use this forum to promote my personal ideas.
But one thing I am acutely aware of as a woman, in my reading about women's issues and from my relationship with the WRC in Hickory, is that women and particularly women with small children are at the short end of the stick when it comes to acquiring the benefits of living in a free society.
For example, we know that women generally earn $0.78 to every dollar a man earns. We know that those women who work are less likely to have health benefits. And when you add the children into the mix, you see women having less options for what kinds of jobs they can take because their children require that they be at home. And for those women who are heading a single family household, i.e., they are "it" when it comes to keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table, it gets even more complicated with less options for sustainability.
So when I read an article about health insurance companies, one industry actually making hand over fist profits when people are losing their jobs and having their benefits cut at an alarming rate, determining that women who are victims of domestic abuse have a "pre-existing condition" and will not pay for the treatment of their wounds, I have to ask myself, "Who are these people who don't want health care reform?" What kind of a country have we become when the mothers of our children not only have to sustain abuse from their partners, but cannot even get basic medical care for the physical injuries sustained from that abuse.
Can anyone explain why we put up with this - why we are even debating whether or not we need health care reform? It makes me spit bullets....
Posted by Kate Tinnan, WRC volunteer
Kate,
ReplyDeleteI cannot answer this question, but I am appalled by this and I would like to hear an answer myself. My sister was murdered by her partner and sustained many violent acts prior to this. She left behind a 9 year son who until recently didn’t have insurance coverage. My sister was killed trying to leave this relationship. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about those who make these decisions. Who are they that judge these women? My philosophy is: until you have worn the shoes of those women, DO NOT JUDGE THEM!!
Thank you for the opportunity to comment about this subject.
A sister’s fight