phallic-symbolDamn. Where’d I put my elective penis? Must be up the attic somewhere. Sigh. Looks like I’ll have to dust it off and strap it on if I want any kind of adequate healthcare under the bill just passed in the House and the bills up for consideration in the Senate.

None of the bills emerging from the House and Senate require insurers to cover all the elements of a standard gynecological "well visit," leaving essential care such as pelvic exams, domestic violence screening, counseling about sexually transmitted diseases, and, perhaps most startlingly, the provision of birth control off the list of basic benefits all insurers must cover. Nor are these services protected from "cost sharing," which means that, depending on what’s in the bill that emerges from the Senate, and, later, the contents of a final bill, women could wind up having to pay for some of these services out of their own pockets. So far, mammograms and Pap tests are covered in every version of the legislation.

Of course, since the language is the same in both the Senate and House versions of the bill, it’s highly unlikely this will change. Thanks again Planned Parenthood for looking out for my interests on Capitol Hill!