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Noem Votes to Make Rape Pre-Existing Condition Again

Rep. Noem: "O.K., girls, to keep your premiums down, don't get raped!" (photo from @RepKristiNoem, Twitter, 2017.05.03)
Rep. Noem and the Party of Personal Responsibility: O.K., girls, to keep your premiums down, don’t get raped! (photo from @RepKristiNoem, Twitter, 2017.05.03)

Rep. Kristi Noem joined 216 other Republicans to just barely pass the Republican health care sham out of the House.

Among other things, Congresswoman Noem just voted to make rape a pre-existing condition for which insurers can charge higher premiums:

Pre-Obamacare rape survivors who sought treatment for their injuries could be denied health care later on. Under Obamacare, preexisting conditions were guaranteed to receive coverage — among them, sexual assault. The American Health Care Act is going to change that.

The new MacArthur-Meadows Amendment will allow states to discriminate based on medical history, reportedly without addressing the subsequent high cost of health care for millions of Americans.

In addition to rape, postpartum depression, cesarean sections, and surviving domestic violence are all considered preexisting conditions. Companies can also deny coverage for gynecological services and mammograms [Sarah Spellings, “In Trump’s America, Rape Is a Preexeisting Condition,” New York Magazine: The Cut, 2017.05.04].

The War on Women is real. Donald Trump is waging war on women, and Kristi Noem is on Trump’s side.

14 Comments

  1. Kristi 2017-05-04 14:52

    Well, on the good side, it’ll be MUCH tougher to get this bill through the Senate. I’m also wondering what this yes vote will do to her campaign chances because I know personally — as someone with a chronic illness — I plan on actively working for ANY candidate that runs as viable opposition. (Okay, maybe not ANY — that’s the anger talking but I have called her office to basically say that “voting yes means no future votes.”)

  2. John Kennedy Claussen, Sr. 2017-05-04 15:00

    When this bill passed today by one vote, Democrats began to wave to the Republican side of the congressional aisle with the words “Good-bye” – suggesting that many Republicans would not be returning to the next Congress because of this vote. And although, Rep. Noem will not be returning to Washington after this Congress due to her own personal choice, Rep. Noem with her vote today said potentially “Good-bye” to a health care plan that even Governor Daugaard knows is necessary for the long term solvency of our state budgets. And you would think that one who wishes to be the next governor would be cognizant of this fact, but if you are a woman voting against women, then I guess you can expect that same politician to be of the type who would vote against their state’s interests as well, while at the same time wanting to be the next governor.…..

  3. Darin Larson 2017-05-04 15:23

    Echoing Kristi’s comments at 14:52, I might have stayed out of the governor’s race, but now I will support anyone other than Noem, be it Jackley, Huether or Sutton. This is the civil rights issue of our time.

  4. buckobear 2017-05-04 15:55

    Simply another step down the road to “third world” status. How do you like “Trumpistan?”

  5. o 2017-05-04 16:05

    I want to be mad/sad/dissapointed by Rep. Noem (and the others that also voted this way), but seriously what did we expect? How many times did SD send Noem to Washington after/because she pledged to repeal the ACA (not even to necessarily replace it with anything)? I more want to be angry at the SD partisan GOP rank-and-file who empowered (mandated) Noem vote this way. I will not be surprised when Sen. Rounds and Thune vote for it; nor will I be surprised when Pres. Trump signs it. I will channel my anger at those who put these representatives in a place to vote and with an agenda on how to vote on the ACA. To paraphrase our friends at the NRA, Representatives don’t kill the ACA, voters who elected those Representatives kill the ACA.

    I had read that some of the persuasion today to pull in the last few votes was House members were told, it’s OK if this isn’t good, the Senate will fix it. I’m not sure the responsibility for the actual changes this vote makes ever sank in for those who voted for it. 60+ times voting without consequence has to create a disconnect from culpability.

    Now that slogans and chants carry weight in action, future political debate might become more thoughtful?

  6. Bob Newland 2017-05-04 17:18

    Given the rate that antipathy for women is rising under 45, perhaps rape should be characterized as a “future probable condition” in the bill.

  7. mike from iowa 2017-05-04 18:00

    Someone should ask Noem what is in the bill she voted for since apparently no one knows what is in it, what it will cost and who gets hurt.

    Now everybody does do it. We had to pass Obamacare to know what’s in it.

    Drumpf is really patting himself on the back for this greatest legislative victory ever in the history of legislative victories-bar none.

  8. John 2017-05-04 18:08

    I’ll never understand or forgive women for voting for NOem, 45th, or their ilk who consistent act against women and families. On the other hand, I understand selfish little old men who vote that way as they’ve no respect for their mothers, spouses, daughters – who only live to grab ’em by the . . . .” How these morons rise to elected office is a stain on democracy, the voters, and the republic.

  9. bearcreekbat 2017-05-04 18:20

    mfi – this was almost as great a victory as having Trump’s SCOTUS nominee fail to carry 60 votes, necessitating a “nuclear option” bailout by the Republican Senate. Trump must be a genius who can get legislation barely passed by only a single extra vote primarily due to the promises that the unpalatable bill will be changed or defeated in the Senate.

    http://www.salon.com/2017/05/04/american-health-care-act-passes-the-house-but-its-future-is-still-uncertain/

  10. mike from iowa 2017-05-04 18:47

    Even former Fox Noise femme fatale Greta VanSustern sez wingnuts are acting like they won the Super Bowl after only the first quarter.

    I am happy that this makes Drumpf happy because he has been very sad for three full months.

  11. Rorschach 2017-05-04 19:01

    I’m looking forward to hearing what the effects of this bill would be if passed.
    How many Americans will likely lose their healthcare?
    How many billions in tax cuts will the super wealthy get?
    How will this affect the federal debt?

  12. Roger Elgersma 2017-05-05 11:52

    Since the courts seldom prosecute rape, and it will cost you more insurance if you are raped, who would report it. Then they could say rape went down when it is still there. No good in this. There was another Republican who recently said that if you have a pre existing condition then you were a bad person. I hope they talk to each other.

  13. Tyler Schumacher 2017-05-05 14:44

    At least you used the word ‘again’, Cory. This is a bunch of hysteria over a seeming misunderstanding of what insurance is. This would have been the perfect opportunity for the media to have made an argument against the concept of health insurance in favor of a single-payer system, but instead, a useless fomenting of anger.

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