2010 - Rush Limbaugh: I’ll Leave US If Health Care Reform Passes 

So… When is the farewell party?

“Moron Of The Week” Inductee Mitt “Magic Underpants” Romney: I Will Repeal Obamacare

USA: President Obama Speaks On Ruling

USA: Ignorant Americans Want To Move To Canada, Say US Is Too Socialist 

They clearly don’t know anything about their progressive neighbours of the north.

The supreme court upheld Obama Care. That’s it. I’m moving to Canada!

— Lucas Dargis (@LucasDargis) June 28, 2012

I’m moving to Canada, the United States is entirely too socialist.

— Walter Weldon (@WallyWeldon) June 28, 2012

#SCOTUS holds up free healthcare for everyone?!Screw this commie country, I’m moving to #Canada #whoswithme

— Van Summers (@VanSummers) June 28, 2012

Moving to Canada #supremecourtruling

— Kyle Berger (@kberger2124) June 28, 2012

USA: Change Delivered: The Road To Health Care Reform

President Obama Addresses Netroots Nation

Here’s the list of his accomplishments (thus far) regarding to ONLY Civil Rights & Anti-Discrimination:

• He advocated for and signed theMatthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.  http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7
• He pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping.  http://bit.ly/fdahuH http://bit.ly/mZV4Pz
• He appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.  http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0
• Helped Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/th0JC8
• He extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.  http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCj
• He’s appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history.  http://bit.ly/g1lA7D 
• He issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGT
• He established a White House Council on Women and Girls  http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMM
• He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill.   http://bit.ly/fT3Cxg
• Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families.    http://bit.ly/e1puTk
• He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0x
• Under his watch, National Labor Relations Board has issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets, beginning November 2011.  http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQ 

United Kingdom: Free HIV Treatment For Foreign Nationals In England Welcomed

Pink News UK reports:

A move to allow some overseas visitors in Enland to receive free treatment for HIV in the same way as other communicable infections has been welcomed.
The free treatment has been approved on the grounds of public health and of reducing long-term costs to the NHS.
Currently, failed asylum seekers who are allowed to remain in England because their country is too dangerous to return to, people who have overstayed their visas and undocumented migrants are required to pay for treatment.
The restrictions on HIV do not apply to other sexually transmitted infections or to tuberculosis and they do not apply to those foreign nationals in Scotland or Wales who can already receive free HIV treatment.
Campaigners have argued that the current English rules are harmful to public health efforts and result in higher costs to the NHS in the long term because of greater risk of onward infection and increased costs associated with treating HIV in its later stages.
Lisa Power, Policy Director for Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We strongly support this move by the Government to bring HIV in line with all the other sexually transmitted infections which are free from charge on public health grounds.
“It makes no sense to deny people medication that dramatically reduces the risk of them passing on their infection to others.
“Leaving people without treatment also means the NHS pays far more further down the line when someone’s health fails and they need emergency care. These changes will protect more people from HIV infection in the UK and will save the NHS money in the longer term.”
Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: “This measure will protect the public and brings HIV treatment in to line with all other infectious diseases. Treating people with HIV means they are very unlikely to pass the infection on to others.”
Yusef Azad, Director of Policy at the National Aids Trust, said: “If someone is tested and treated early, it is much cheaper than them presenting themselves in hospital with a much more serious, complex condition that can cost tens of thousands of pounds to treat.”
Amid fears of “health tourists” heading to the UK for free treatment, campaigners have pointed out that the existing rules in Scotland and Wales have not had a noticeable effect.
An estimated 100,000 people are living with HIV in the UK including 5% of gay men according to HPA figures.
The HPA’s 2011 report on HIV noted that had the 3,640 HIV diagnoses made in 2010 in the UK been prevented, on contemporary estimates over £1 billion would have been saved in future treatment costs.

Rachel Maddow: The Republican Party Is Waging War On Contraception 

This show aired on Sunday’s morning, February 5th.

At Google, A Transgender “Gold Standard”

The Advocate reports:

In a move predicted by one advocate to become the gold standard for LGBT health, Google has significantly increased coverage of transgender health care benefits for its U.S. employees, and other companies are soon expected to follow suit. 

The updated benefits, announced internally by company officials on Friday and effective immediately, cover transitioning procedures and treatment in accordance with theWorld Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care, and include gender reassignment surgical procedures determined to be medically necessary by a doctor. 

Some of the procedures covered by Google’s health care plan include genital surgery, as well as facial feminization for transgender women and pectoral implants for transgender men — surgeries that can be considered medically necessary depending on the “unique clinical situation of a given patient’s condition and life situation,” according to WPATH’s seventh version of care standards, published in September. 

“As the WPATH Standards of Care are considered the highest standards of care for transgender individuals, we agreed to cover the full range of procedures under WPATH,” Google spokesman Jordan Newman told The Advocate. 

Google also has more than doubled the maximum dollar amount for transgender health care benefits, from $35,000 to $75,000, the minimum amount required for a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2012 Corporate Equality Index, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The benefits are covered by the company’s existing insurance providers and apply to domestic employees, Newman said. Google is considering extending similar benefits to international employees, though it does not currently have a timeline for doing so.

While Google’s benefits track the updated criteria of HRC’s latest annual workplace equality survey, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company, which has active LGBT employee groups known as “Gayglers” in offices from Michigan to Singapore, also sees the move as part of a larger progressive strategy crucial to maintaining a competitive edge. 

Click here for the full article.

Indonesia: First LGBT Health Clinic Opens

The Advocate reports:

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, last month opened its first health clinic specifically for LGBT patients.
The Bali Medika Clinic is located in the city of Denpasar on the resort island of Bali. Since opening in early October, the center has treated nearly 100 patients — Indonesia is currently dealing with a soaring HIV rate. Many gay men in Indonesia remain closeted, while transgender women, known as warias, are allowed more freedom and respect.

Mexico: Capital’s Senate Approves Social Health Care For Gay Couples 

Yesterday, Mexico City’s Senate ratified a law that will allow gay folks to extend their Health Care benefits to their partners through both Mexico’s national Social Health Care Institutions, IMSS (for workers of the private sector) & ISSSTE (for workers of the State).

Reforma reports:

The Senate approved amendments to the laws of the IMSS and ISSSTE for their beneficiaries can enroll their spouses, regardless of whether they are of the same sex.

The opinion raises, for example, Article 5A of the Act IMSS will register the beneficiary partner regardless of gender.

”Or the spouse of the insured person or the board or, in the absence of those who have signed a civil union or marriage to the insured person or the board or, whatever their sex,” establishes the modification.

With 82 votes in favor and none against and no abstentions, the full Senatehad adopted the opinion that the Commissioner of Social Security and First Legislative Studies.

However, the initiative originated in the House of Representatives, as from 9 November last year was approved by a majority and has since beenturned over to the Senate for ratification.

On this occasion, for the opinion there were no positions for or against, and approval was given without difficulty.

The Senate Board noted that, by procedure, return the bill to the House for review and subsequent submission to the Federal Executive.

The original initiative was tabled by Mr. Enoé Uranga, the PRD (the Left Party), and Ruben Moreira, from PRI (The Center-Conservative Party).

Microsoft & Yahoo Equalize Health Benefits For Gay Employees

The New York Times reports:

With open enrollment season in full swing, several big companies have said that they would begin to reimburse gay employees for the extra taxes they pay on health insurance for their significant others. Now, two more technology giants, Microsoft and Yahoo, have decided to join in, starting Jan. 1.
Married heterosexual couples don’t have to pay the taxes because their unions are recognized by the federal government.
While Yahoo’s new policy will apply only to same-sex partners and their dependents, Microsoft said it would also begin to offer domestic partner insurance to workers with opposite-sex partners. And they will get the extra reimbursement, too.
The movement to equalize benefits has picked up speed in recent weeks, as companies revisit their employee benefit policies for the coming year. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and American Express have also announced similar changes. There’s still a long way to go — most companies don’t “gross up,” as the reimbursements are known. But we’ve been closely tracking corporate America’s progress in this chart.
Under federal law, employer-provided health benefits for domestic partners are counted as taxable income if the partner is not considered a dependent. On top of that, the employees cannot use pretax dollars to pay for their premiums — unlike their opposite-sex married counterparts.
So while many big companies offer health insurance coverage for domestic partners, it costs employees more money to use it. To level the playing field between gay and heterosexual employees, more companies are digging into their own pockets to cover the extra expense.
Many of them choose only to cover same-sex couples since heterosexual domestic partners have the option to marry and avoid the extra taxes. That makes Microsoft’s new policy stand out as being particularly generous.
Is your company on our chart? If not, mention the name in the comment section below and we’ll ask the company if it has any plans to change its policy. We’re also curious to learn about any big companies that do not offer domestic partner health insurance.

USA: New Report On Gay Families - All Children Matter

LGBT Finally Included In U.S. Health Data

The Huffington Post reports:

For the first time, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations will be included in the National Health Interview Survey — one of the key sources used to gauge the health of Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday morning that it will add questions on sexual orientation to the survey by 2013 and begin efforts to collect data on gender identity.
In a statement, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius hailed the move as essential to helping policymakers and researchers identify health issues among LGBT populations, for which there is notoriously little data.
“Today we are taking critical steps toward ensuring the useful national data on minority groups, including, for the first time, LGBT populations,” Sebelius said. “The data we will eventually collect in these efforts will serve as powerful tools and help us in our fight to end health disparities.”
Key players in LGBT health issues have hailed the announcement, among them, UCLA’s Williams Institute On Sexual Orientation and Gender and Identity Law, which released a statement praising the move.
“Today’s announcement solidifies the commitment … to provide more and better data about the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans,” Williams Distinguished Scholar Dr. Gary Gates said. He added that the need for more data is “acute.”
The National Health Interview Survey has been conducted since 1957 and has been updated every 10 to 15 years. Data collection, however, is continuous through each year.
The Centers for Disease Control, which conducts the survey, says it is the “principal source” of information about the health of Americans.

The new draft announced Wednesday also calls for the collection of more data on race and ethnicity, aimed at better understanding health care and outcomes among Asian, Hispanic and Pacific Islander populations.
“To fully understand and meet the needs of our communities,” director of HHS Office Of Minority Health, Dr. Garth Graham, said in a statement, “we must first thoroughly understand who we are serving.”