Tag Archive for "Health care"

Posts Tagged Health care

Are you Out2Enroll?

Today is National Coming Out Day, a complicated event that inspires many and worries others who find the narrative constricting or shaming. But, whatever your feelings about the standard coming out narrative, there’s another way to celebrate today: are you Out2Enroll?

The Sellers Dorsey Foundation, the Center for American Progress, and the Federal Agencies Project have come together to create an intuitive informational portal about Obamacare for queer and trans people. The website functions both to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act and help visitors find the best insurance options for their needs. Why is it important for LGBTQ people to be covered? The site

Today is National Coming Out Day, a complicated event that inspires many and worries others who find the narrative constricting or shaming. But, whatever your feelings about ...

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 10 years ago

Black Americans and single mothers disproportionately affected by states refusing to expand Medicaid

A New York Times analysis has found that the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health care reform legislation, will leave out two thirds of poor black folks and single mothers, and more than half of uninsured low-wage workers:

Because they live in states largely controlled by Republicans that have declined to participate in a vast expansion of Medicaid, the medical insurance program for the poor, they are among the eight million Americans who are impoverished, uninsured and ineligible for help. The federal government will pay for the expansion through 2016 and no less than 90 percent of costs in later years.

In short, because the very states that hold a disproportionate amount of low-income folks are also the majority of the ...

By Katie Halper • 10 years ago

Is “Breaking Bad” a critique of U.S. health care (or lack thereof)?

Last night, I visited my parents for dinner and then watched the…season… no… series… [come on Katie! You can do it!]… finale [sniffles] of Breaking Bad. Though I told my mom not to watch the finale and to instead watch the entire series from the beginning, she watched the final episode with me. During the particularly moving scene between Walter and Skylar, my mom said, “This is all about lack of health care. The undoing of the social fabric. It’s so sad.”

Was she right? There has been some debate of the issue. Not surprisingly, some conservatives argue that teachers receive some of the best benefits and can’t complain. Others argue that

Last night, I visited my parents for dinner and then watched the…season… no… series… [come on Katie! You can do it!]… finale [sniffles] of Breaking Bad. Though I told my mom not to ...

By Chloe Angyal • 10 years ago

Quick hit: How sequestration screws over breast cancer researchers

At TPM Cafe today, there’s a great piece about how sequestration cuts are making it harder for scientists to do research on lifesaving medical treatments:

The sequester was supposed to be so draconian that it would drive politicians to accept some alternative budget compromise. Unfortunately compromise seems to be a dirty word in Washington, and it has become almost dogma for some that any government spending is inherently wrong and should be opposed on principle. But does that really extend to scientific biomedical research that can save lives?

Some types of government spending are crucial and necessary. These investments include not only breast cancer research, but all avenues of basic scientific research funded by agencies such as the National Institutes ...

At TPM Cafe today, there’s a great piece about how sequestration cuts are making it harder for scientists to do research on lifesaving medical treatments:

The sequester was supposed to be so draconian that it would ...

By Chloe Angyal • 10 years ago

A Gynotician: “A BA in Biologicalish Studies and Rhetoric”

Amazing. Thank you, Amber Tamblyn and David Cross.

h/t Raw Story.

Apologies folks – no transcript yet. If someone could put on in comments, that would be so great!

UPDATE: Amanda MThanks to Amanda M. we now have the transcript to the video. Hurrah! Check it out below the jump.

Amazing. Thank you, Amber Tamblyn and David Cross.

h/t Raw Story.

Apologies folks – no transcript yet. If someone could put on in comments, that would be so great!

UPDATE: Amanda MThanks to Amanda M. we now have ...

By Alexandra Brodsky • 10 years ago

Weekly Feminist Reader

Last night, a man was shot in the streets of New York in a hate crime marked by homophobic slurs. Bigotry kills.

A survivor argues that military sexual trauma should be treated as as national security issue.

Radio host Pete Santilli says Hilary Clinton needs to be “shot in the vagina.”

A proposed law to protect Afghan women was blocked by opponents.

This guy wants the government to pay women to date him.

On not being a “good” trans woman.

The Pentagon has established a process for trans vets to choose the gender listed in their records.

“Jokes can… validate prejudicial viewers and consumers in a way that defenders ...

Last night, a man was shot in the streets of New York in a hate crime marked by homophobic slurs. Bigotry kills.

A survivor argues that military sexual trauma should be treated ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

Are mainstream breast cancer awareness initiatives hurting more than they’re helping?

Ed. note: This is a guest post from Verónica Bayetti Flores. Verónica is the Assistant Director of the Civil Liberties and Public Policy program (CLPP) at Hampshire College. She has worked to increase access to contraception and abortion, fought for paid sick leave, demanded access to safe public space for queer youth of color, and helped to lead social justice efforts in Wisconsin, New York City, and Texas.

Yesterday the New York Times featured an article in its Sunday magazine about breast cancer, awareness initiatives, and what the real effects these initiatives have had on the lives of women. It’s on the longer side, but one that’s framed around the personal narrative of the author – a breast cancer survivor herself ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

The gene patent case before the Supreme Court is hugely important to women’s health

Ed. note: Katie is off this week, so Arikia Millikan is guest blogging in her place. Arikia is a Brooklyn-based journalist and former Wired editor who writes about science and technology. She was Nate Silver’s research assistant for the NY Times bestseller The Signal and the Noise.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a precedent-setting case regarding the patenting of human genes, specifically the two genes that are most closely linked to breast and ovarian cancer. When Myriad Genetics aided in the discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2, they patented the discovery, securing a monopoly over use of the genes for decades. Now, a group of researchers and medical groups, including the women’s health collective Our Bodies Ourselves, have sued.