Tag: insurance

On
Bill Dagnon

Health care bill was developed behind closed doors

To the editor:

Most people know a family member, friend, or neighbor who has had a traumatic health problem. In our family, it was when our two-year-old son ran into the highway as a car came over the hill. Comprehensive health insurance freed us from worrying about costs and let us concentrate on our son’s needs.

Anyone who experiences a similar disaster can imagine what other people go through in such a crisis. Empathizing with fellow Americans is natural in a country founded on the belief that we are all created equal. Equality in feeling suffering leads to equality in relieving and preventing suffering.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Diocese of Madison applauds court ruling

The Diocese of Madison issued the following statement in regard to the Supreme Court decision regarding contraception in employee health insurance coverage.

MADISON — The Supreme Court ruling on Monday, June 30, is a positive step toward recognizing the truth that the God-given freedom of religion and freedom of conscience cannot be disregarded by the government in its attempt to force its own beliefs on people of faith.

It must be recognized that the freedoms of religion and conscience can never be relegated to a church, synagogue, or mosque, and that they are the rights of every individual, conferred by God.

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On
Vince Metcalf, Montello

We are becoming ‘slaves’ of ‘Big Government’

To the editor:

Do you think our forefathers, who so carefully crafted our Constitution and Bill of Rights to protect our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are happy or horrified at the turn their beloved nation has taken in these past 50 years? Their 13 colonies became One Nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Three branches of government were created: Legislative [elected] by citizens to past just laws, Judicial [appointed] to interpret laws, and Administrative [also elected] to enforce the laws.

 

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On
Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.

President’s ‘compromise’ still infringes upon religious liberty

When President Obama mandated that religiously-based organizations violate core tenets of their faith, Americans were rightly outraged.

The president then announced an “accommodation” policy to these organizations, but the so-called compromise is not a compromise at all because it does not take away the mandate that infringes upon religious liberty.

On January 20, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, affirmed a rule that requires church-affiliated hospitals, agencies, and universities to provide contraception and sterilization in the health insurance for their employees.

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On
Chris Lee

Violation of religious liberty cannot stand

Eye on the Capitol, by Kim Wadas

Normally this column addresses state policy issues. This time it speaks to a national question — the scope of religious liberty in our national health care reform legislation.

On January 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reaffirmed a rule forcing nearly all private health plans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, as well as surgical sterilization. These are listed among “preventive services” for women.

Nearly all health plans will have to cover these services without co-pays or other cost-sharing. The mandate applies regardless of whether the insurer, the employer or other plan sponsor, or even the woman herself, objects to such coverage.

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On
John Huebscher

Violation of religious liberty cannot stand

Eye on the Capitol, by Kim Wadas

Normally this column addresses state policy issues. This time it speaks to a national question — the scope of religious liberty in our national health care reform legislation.

On January 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reaffirmed a rule forcing nearly all private health plans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, as well as surgical sterilization. These are listed among “preventive services” for women.

Nearly all health plans will have to cover these services without co-pays or other cost-sharing. The mandate applies regardless of whether the insurer, the employer or other plan sponsor, or even the woman herself, objects to such coverage.

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On
Chris Lee

School Sister of St. Francis Catherine Guzy, dies

MILWAUKEE — School Sister of St. Francis Catherine Guzy, 87, who served as a teacher, school principal, and an insurance agent, died January 17, 2012, at Sacred Heart Convent, Milwaukee. The daughter of Charles and Margaret Guzy, she was born April 21, 1924, in Pana, Illinois. She was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis June 13, 1941; made her first profession of vows June 21, 1943; and final (perpetual) vows June 21, 1949.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, editor

What happened to freedom of religion?

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

With efforts to banish religion from the public square in this country, I’ve begun to wonder what is happening to freedom of religion in the United States.

The beginning of the first amendment to the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This means that while there should be no specific state religion, those with religious beliefs should be able to practice their faith freely.

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