"We should take an objective look at what [the ACA] really does for Americans"
And the author does just that! Well, for Americans who are women and need cancer screening or birth control and aren't on their parents' health insurance.

I didn't really need to hear about her IUD's projected loss of effectiveness, but okay. The real question is: "Who is ordering people to deny themselves a sexual life" because it is expensive to get contraception? That aside, do people really sit down look at their finances and say, "hmm...not balancing...better cut the contraception out"?

"Women make up the backbone of this great country, so there is nothing more patriotic–or right–than supporting the Affordable Care Act." What about men? Do they make up the spleen of this great country?

And I don't really get the cause and effect here:
Because "women make up the backbone of this country"
"there is NOTHING more patriotic or RIGHT than supporting" the ACA.

Really? Nothing more patriotic than supporting this law? Nothing more RIGHT, than supporting this law? I beg to differ on this point. And why would woman being the backbone of the country cause that support, patriotism or correctness?

I think this article should have been edited for length, grammar and clarity...and maybe content too.

Yes, the ACA is a redistribution from men to women. Heaven forbid that women should have to, you know, pay for their healthcare costs. If you can't afford birth control, get your BF or ONS to pay for it. Your complaining that you are "denied" a sexual life because you have no money is absurd.

I hope one day you will be smart enough to catch the irony of your very first paragraph in this letter, Mrs. "objective look".

Hi, Matt. I take it that you have a penis so the most cost you ever associate with sex is that box of Trojans you bought five years ago. Also, I would choose a sexier body part to make the men of this country. The spleen, REALLY? What about the heart or the brain? If you'd like to make a point, please make it effectively.

To Ohai, I'll assume you're a male as well. The point should be made that contraception SHOULD be a cost shared between men and women. But is it? Not at all. It's often seen as a women's issue, and so until we have equality in relationships then that point is moot. Also, what about the women who use birth control for reasons other than preventing pregnancy? Thousands upon thousands of women use it for issues ranging from acne to fibroids - they won't have men to rely on to help them pay for birth control. And let's not forget that poverty affects both men and women, so if a woman can't afford birth control then it is likely that her partner isn't in the position to help pay for it either. That's not even getting into the whole point that women shouldn't have to rely on men for financial support. But such is our country.

There is nothing unobjective about seeing the human rights aspect of the Affordable Care Act. Perhaps your privilege has muddied your humanity.

Ahh, to be 23 again.

News flash, your birth control will not be free. You will pay for it, as will others who do not reap the benefit themselves.

Women should pay for birth control they use, regardless of purpose. Men should pay for theirs. Women and men should pay for their children, their antibiotics, and anything else they consume. If they do not want to pay, they should not consume those products, nor should they have children.

I simply do not understand the expectation that things should be free. Coincidentally, the same demographic that supports this nonsense are usually the people who want farmers paid a higher wage and their iPhones to be both cheap AND made by adult Chinese making 200% of the average factory worker.

If you want something, you must pay for it. Perhaps, when you move out of your parents' home and become financially independent, you will understand that in order for you to pay your own rent or mortgage, someone must pay you. Which means that you will need to charge for your services. Just as the pharmaceutical companies expect to be paid for their goods and your doctors expect to be paid for the time spent examining your breast lumps.

However, I suppose with a future in "public health" you'll be expecting tax dollars to pay your salary. Seems appropriate.

The two issues you are apparently so concerned about securing, i.e., "birth control" & breast cancer screenings are ALREADY available free of charge to women without the added legislation of the Affordable Care Act - a true oxymoron if ever there were! Planned Parenthood provides breast cancer screenings/ mammograms & birth control methods to anyone who walks in asking for such services. Any city or county health department is also a source of referrals to such "services". That having been said, I would strongly urge that you consider abstinence as the most safe & effective form of birth control available. It IS free & when applied will keep you from having to seek treatment for STDs. Know too that services/care provided to anyone without charge is being paid for by someone else in the form of taxes, philanthropic donations or higher insurance premiums. Quite frankly this nation cannot AFFORD the debacle that will result from implementation of this latest entitlement program.

I noticed in a quick glance that Ms. Covarrubias is a candidate for a Master of Science in PUBLIC HEALTH! And at my least favorite medical institution, Johns Hopkins University (School of Public Health). I find it most upsetting that she displays such ignorance of public health programs ALREADY available @ no cost to females of child-bearing age. WHAT is she learning @ Hopkins? A quick call to the City [of Baltimore] Health Department or even Howard County would have given her the information which would have dissuaded her from writing her "opinion" which is so overwhelmingly UNINFORMED. As to access to health/medical care, my father was a hospital administrator @ a major metropolitan university medical center. The poor received FREE care. They began in the ER, and if necessary were sent to specialists as their cases dictated. Oh, before I forget, the taxpayers of the state of Maryland were stuck with the bill & YOU, young lady, are afforded the opportunity to purchase STUDENT coverage just as I was @ SUNY Albany for my graduate studies.