Picking some good fights: good news edition

[ProSense]

Picking some good fights: good news edition

by digby

Ok, time for some good news for a change. Kudos to the administration for this one because it's likely to provoke a fight -- a fight that will be good for liberal;s to have:

Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests as a result of recommendations released Tuesday by an independent advisory panel of health experts.

The health-care law adopted last year directed the Obama administration to draw up a list of preventive services for women that all new health plans must cover without deductibles or co-payments. While the guidelines suggested Tuesday by a committee of the Institute of Medicine are not binding, the panel conducted its review at the request of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Administration officials have indicated that she will consider the recommendations and release proposed regulations very soon.

Though generally anticipated, the committee’s decision to include prescription birth control in its recommended list is controversial. Groups such as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America had argued that contraception is a basic form of preventive health care. In turn, groups such as the Family Research Council contended that individuals who oppose birth control on religious grounds should not be effectively forced to subsidize its use by paying premiums to insurance plans that cover it.

This one is still under the radar, but it's a very big part of the right wing assault on women's rights taking place all over the country. This will be a full blown federal counter attack. And it's one that should have a higher profile because liberals will win it.

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