Federal Employee Forced To Pay For Abortion To End Life-Threatening Pregnancy

Washington Post:

D.J. Feldman was 11 weeks pregnant last year when she learned that her child had anencephaly, a fetal defect that left the baby with almost no brain. It is always fatal.

She thought her health insurance policy through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) would cover the $9,000 cost of the abortion. It didn't.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[dayala]

10:08 AM on 12/02/2009

Emucrat wrires:

"Thank god that the majority in Congress is pro-life.
Because we Support the RIGHT to LIFE.
THe Federal government has never funded abortions
and no penny should be spend to kill a human being
only to satisfy you pro-d.e.a.­t.h. aka "pro-choice" activists."


really!?..."no penny should be spent to kill a human being"

but you support and condone the 100 trillion pennies spent to satisfy the Bush/Cheney illegal wars based on lies and deception that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, children and babies.

please spare us the hypocrisy of your disingenuous-pretentious 'pro-life' outrage.

[celere]

04:57 PM on 12/02/2009

Maybe Emucrat believes that people are only human while they're in the womb.

[KIVPossum]

05:22 AM on 12/02/2009

Since when does an abortion cost 9 grand?

[NotARhetoricalQuestion]

09:05 AM on 12/02/2009

At 12 weeks or so, too, from what I gather... that doesn't sound right.

[Emucrat]

02:21 AM on 12/02/2009

If the fetus is dead and the life of the mother is threatened, there is no way around an abortion. However, in all other cases, it is simply unjustified. Especially for people in more developed countries.

It is time to end the pro-dea.th activism. In the far future, they will look back to those pro-dea.th supporters, telling students about how women gained the right of artificial selection and caused decades of the silent ho.lo.ca.us.t

[Emucrat]

02:44 AM on 12/02/2009

It simply doesn't sound decent that all democratic constitutions says that "Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life." It is one of the most fundamental laws of nature.

You as a liberal should consider that! An danother thing to consider before you degrade that an embryo/fetus is an actual human being. Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

[ThankGodhesgone]

02:55 AM on 12/02/2009

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.


How can you have reason and conscience when you have no brain?

[OmegaHunter]

05:25 AM on 12/02/2009

Article 1. All human beings are BORN free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Guess you glossed over that little word there, huh? Or do you think you are "born" when you are conceived?

Furthermore you cite Article 2 which is about discrimination. Are you just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks? Maybe you're just pretending that "fetal" is a condition that can be discriminated against.

[GirlFriday123]

10:50 AM on 12/02/2009

What if the fetus's life threatens the mother's life? What if the woman did not choose to become pregnant or was raped?

Why is the mother's life of no value? Are a woman's life and health only worth protecting insofar as it allows her to potentially become an incubator?

[girlwild]

02:06 AM on 12/02/2009

Reproductive freedom for women, period.

[CR46]

02:08 AM on 12/02/2009

co-sign

[Emucrat]

02:17 AM on 12/02/2009

Right to life for human beings, period.

[NotARhetoricalQuestion]

09:06 AM on 12/02/2009

Even full human beings don't have the right to use other humans' bodies.

[mollymac]

09:19 AM on 12/02/2009

But a fetus without a brain; hmmmmm. Really?

[Lori Bowles]

01:17 AM on 12/02/2009

If someone is paying into insurance coverage it better cover all of what I need as a women and what my family needs. No prairie dog inside a cubical is should be allowed to dictate my health that is my doctors job. This couple just went through a horrible decision, women who get ab0rtions don't make the decision lightly and considering how much this couple wanted a baby it must have been devastating. Stupak needs to be shut down and thrown out along with the pro-lifers in government.

[Emucrat]

01:29 AM on 12/02/2009

Thank god that the majority in Congress is pro-life. Because we Support the RIGHT to LIFE. THe Federal government has never funded abortions and no penny should be spend to kill a human being only to satisfy you pro-d.e.a.t.h. aka "pro-choice" activists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ

[Lori Bowles]

01:42 AM on 12/02/2009

right y0u would rather people suffer through a pregnancy like this one or back ally procedure. I'm sure y0u also advocate ab-stance only and promise rings. Does reality ever enter into the picture or do facts go out the window.
Be careful throwing the de.a.th blame around, christians have a lot of bl00d on there hands, and you know what they say about living in glass houses.

[CR46]

02:00 AM on 12/02/2009

So to you "pro-life" means a womens life means nothing?? That a woman is supposed to D?I?E along with a non-viable fetus? That doesn't sound very Pro-life to me at all.

[mollymac]

09:20 AM on 12/02/2009

Yeah but men don't understand what it's like to conceive, carry and birth an infant. They just want the control.

[yemaya]

06:07 PM on 12/20/2009

why are conservative men afraid of women?

[SageFire]

10:56 PM on 12/01/2009

As a Federal employee we are NOT "given" insurance by ANYONE. We pay for it just like every other employee does. The issue here is that PART of our premiums are paid for by our employer, just like every one else. Since she is a Federal employee, and there are these ridiculous laws in place, we actually have worse insurance. I am so tired of the misconception that we have some kind of golden plans. I am pretty much past the age I might need this particular service and even so we chose my husband’s policy for our family because - I will say it again - Federal employees have WORSE insurance than the average employee, in part thanks those that believe some invisible guy in the sky has special information for them regarding every one else’s behavior.

[StopSexismNow]

09:49 PM on 12/01/2009

Yeah, something is very fishy about this story. An abortion at 11 weeks is not a $9k procedure. Back in the early 90s, it was a $400 procedure WITH general anesthesia. Now it may be twice that amount or slightly more, but it sure ain't $9k.

[CR46]

12:14 AM on 12/02/2009

The diagnoses or amnio was done at 11 weeks, she had the procedure after that , most probably in the second trimester (waiting for insurance approval--that was denied) and that would make it a much more complicated procedure.

[Lori Bowles]

01:20 AM on 12/02/2009

she went to a hospital, I don't think she was bargain shopping for her health or this procedure.

[DUSAA-1775]

06:57 PM on 12/01/2009

Planned parent hood charges about $600 for an abortion. this lady finds a doctor who will do the operation for $9000. I can not get to upset when a lawyer does not know what her insurance covers nor worry about a lawyer who does not want to pay $600.00 at planned parenthood.

[CR46]

02:02 AM on 12/02/2009

Her insurance DID cover it, they denied it anyway. She most probably did not have a 1st trimester abortion(waiting for approval) and she may have had other issues or medical history tha determined it needed to be done in a hospital vs a clinic.

[mollymac]

09:21 AM on 12/02/2009

I doubt that she worries about whether you are too upset. Not your life.

[DawnK]

06:52 PM on 12/01/2009

Our government needs to stop cowtowing to christians. They are willing to put women's lives in danger to make sure they get the christian vote, and that's both parties. They are putting religious values above human value and there is supposed to be a separation of church and state. This disgusts me. I am so over organized religion because it never organizes to do good. It's usually to ostracize a group of people whether it be women, gays or non-christians. I'm supposed to be ok with the government putting some mythological character and book above what is right and just. They would risk a living, breathing, talking, walking, thinking live woman for something they can't even prove is real.

[Emucrat]

10:40 PM on 12/01/2009

Ms. Jessen. If you have the patience, watch the first and second part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ

[tiredofthesameoldstuff]

02:48 AM on 12/02/2009

Fake video.

[yemaya]

06:17 PM on 12/20/2009

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." - Benjamin Franklin

[xena]

06:33 PM on 12/01/2009

Just wondering, do insurance companies pay for a vasectomy? Isn't it the same thing. Remember the Monty Python song "every sperm is sacred"? Seems a bit of a double standard.

[Newsmonger]

10:36 PM on 12/01/2009

The Insurance company paying for vasectomy makes business sense...by that singular action they have effectively negated the possibilities of paying for countless maternity bills down the run...

[CR46]

12:15 AM on 12/02/2009

so does abortion, no delivery, no prenatal care no pediatric care for YEARS.

[mollymac]

09:22 AM on 12/02/2009

Your comments sounds misogynistic.

[neocon666]

01:36 PM on 12/01/2009

While I am no big fan of abortion, I also realize that there was a period in the history of the United States of America when a woman could be told exactly what she could or could not do with her own body, and ending an unwanted pregnancy could result in dire consequenses for her - it was called SLAVERY.

Pro-Life = forced pregnancy

[BeerRun]

01:41 PM on 12/01/2009

Pro-Life = Backally abortions. People seem to forget history. Just another way for us to degrade woman IMHO.

[DawnK]

06:54 PM on 12/01/2009

I don't think they forgot. They just don't have common sense and don't care.

[BCALM]

01:17 PM on 12/01/2009

Planned (Termination) Parenthood charges $350 to $950 for first trimesters abortions,,, This was 11 weeks ,,, even if they waited to 2nd trimester , a couple of grand,,,,,,

[neocon666]

01:26 PM on 12/01/2009

Planned Parenthood provides many more services than access to abortion -but you already knew that.

[celere]

01:37 PM on 12/01/2009

Yes, they live up to their name. It's a good thing to plan for parenthood. Most important job we'll ever have.

[alarmbell]

04:46 PM on 12/01/2009

exactly.

[letsbepeaceful]

01:41 PM on 12/01/2009

It was the hospital that wanted to charge $9,000 (insane if they would have been paid only $5000 by the insurance company - oh, that's how the hospital pays for all those who are totally uninsured, isn't it?), and it was probably after several weeks' arguing with the insurance company.

What would insurance have paid for the care of the unviable infant, and the postpartum treatment for the mom?

[osusana]

07:47 PM on 12/01/2009

Very good question!! I doubt we'd ever get an answer to that.

[cheeriogirl]

08:59 PM on 12/01/2009

Without question, much, much more.

[skymuffin]

01:13 PM on 12/01/2009

Well, stop providing insurance funding for the little blue pills.

[bcmom]

01:03 PM on 12/01/2009

Right now heath insurance is a scam, period. All those people who think their health care insurance is great, wait until you get really sick with a life threatening disease. Get back to us and let us know how much your insurance company pays. I have had two cancers and cannot get affordable insurance through anyone of our great insurance companies. I am in a High Risk Insurance Pool which is more expensive than COBRA. It is killing us. I know a lady who cannot afford health care but works 7 days a week and has to go to the ER if she gets really sick. People wake up. It took approximately 10 minutes for a major insurance company to turn me down. I am sure they did a word search to find cancer. At least the other companies waited a day to turn me down. The only people who are profiting are the insurance execs.

I am sick of neo conservative white (usually the case) men telling me what I can and cannot do with my body. How dare you! Who gave you the right to judge other people???

[Lori Bowles]

01:33 AM on 12/02/2009

thank you so much for that, I really hope you find the help you need
fanned

[TwoLabHome]

12:53 PM on 12/01/2009

This is so insulting to women. Abortions, including medical abortions and late-term abortions, have a very real purpose. I am so sick of the bureaucrate white male, neo conservatives and the religious right who prey on women in need of making difficult decisions regarding their health and welfare, and the medical providers who are couragous to risk their own well being to help them.

I applaud DJ Feldman and wish more women would come forward and share their stories.

[johnr49]

01:25 PM on 12/01/2009

Well said! Fanned and Faved.

[Milash]

01:29 PM on 12/01/2009

Thank you! Excellent post.