This Grandma Just SHUT DOWN A Politicians Criticism Of Maternity Care

This Grandma Just SHUT DOWN A Politicians Criticism Of Maternity Care A male politician criticized the Affordable Care Acts maternity care clause and one womans epic clapback has since gone viral. Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) welches speaking to a crowd assembled in a Dubuque, Iowa, high school gym last Monday (May 8) when he had this to say about the Obama-era health care acts policy on pregnancy Get rid of some of ansicht crazy regulations that Obamacare puts in, such as a 62-year-old male having to have pregnancy insurance, Blum told his constituents, many of whom responded with jeers. Blums comment is typical of many conservatives main beef with the ACA, which requires insurers to cover 10 essential benefits as part of any health plan. One of those mandated benefits is pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care, which was included to prevent insurance companies from being able to discriminate against women by labeling pregnancy in new enrollees as a preexisting condition.One woman in that Iowa gym Barbara Rank, a grandmother and retired special education teacher didnt join in the chorus of boos that night, she later told the Washington Post. But Blums statement continued to rankle her, and the next morning she penned a 107-word letter to the editor of her local newspaper, which was published on Friday. That letter ever-so-concisely tore down Blums opposition to maternity care and quickly went viral on Reddit and Twitter.Ranks letter readsCongressman Rod Blum in a Dubuque town hall (Monday) night asked, Why should a 62-year-old man have to pay for maternity care?I ask, why should I pay for a bridge I dont cross, a sidewalk I dont walk on, a library book I dont read?Why should I pay for a flower I wont smell, a park I dont visit, or art I cant appreciate? Why should I pay the salaries of politicians I didnt vote for, a tax cut that doesnt affect me, or a loophole I cant take advantage of?Its called democracy, a civil society, the greater good. Thats what we pay for. The pint-sized letter caused a pretty mighty ripple It now has more than 8,000 comments on Reddit and has received just as much applause on Twitter. Though a few naysayers factor in among that number as well including Blum, whose spokesperson told the Washington Post his remark was taken out of context Ranks doesnt mind the criticism. I got a text from one of my nieces, she told the Post. She put it really well Whatever. To 60,000 people, you just said what they think.According to a CNN estimate, the total cost of pregnancy and newborn care runs the gamut, but averages at about $30,000 for vaginal and $50,000 for cesarean section deliveries, with commercial insurers paying out an average of $18,329 and $27,866, respectively. Before Obamacare, only 12 percent of health plans on the individual market covered maternity.If politicians like Blum have their way with the American Health Care Act, the full financial burden of pregnancy will be placed firmly back on womens shoulders.