![The Best Health Insurance, Part 3 [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/images/womaninflowers.jpg "The Best Health Insurance, Part 3 [EXPERT]")
You may like to refresh your memory of Part 1 and Part 2 of this article, before continuing.... Please understand, when I say "health insurance" or that you can ensure your health by doing certain things, I'm not guaranteeing anything! There are no guarantees in life, period.
![The Best Health Insurance, Part 2 [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/images/vegetables.jpg "The Best Health Insurance, Part 2 [EXPERT]")
Please read Part 1 of this article, if you haven't already (and you may like to reread it if you read it awhile ago). Okay. Ready? So, what do we do, once we realize that "health care" and "health insurance" as commonly defined are really nothing of the sort? How can we actually care for and ensure our health?
![The Best Health Insurance, Part 1 [EXPERT]](http://images.tangomag.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-full/images/independence20next20exit.jpg "The Best Health Insurance, Part 1 [EXPERT]")
Do you and your family have health insurance? The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decree whether the U.S. Government is allowed to force you to buy health insurance. Whether you like the notion of forcing everyone to buy it or not, the first question to ask is: What is "health insurance"? As defined by the Supreme Court and the Government and most people nowadays, "health insurance" is the act of paying a monthly fee in order that any services or products you obtain from the medical industry will be paid for (wholly or partly) by people other than you.
By now you know the story: Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke spoke out in favor of insured birth control, and Rush Limbaugh lashed out at her by calling her a slut and saying the government shouldn't subsidize her lifestyle.
After researching both sides of the Sandra Fluke saga, I find it hard not to side with the courageous third-year law student, who testified on Capitol Hill on Feb. 23, advocating for birth control to be covered by insurance — and was subsequently inexplicably shamed by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh for being a "prostitute" and "slut."
The polarization of a nation over Sandra Fluke's testimony before Congress on the rights of every woman to have contraceptive insurance coverage has been more than ratings-grabbing rhetoric. While anyone has the freedom to agree or disagree with Fluke's position, the conversation has devolved into personal attacks, sparking major news articles everywhere. Sandra Fluke's very public battle to advocate for women while being personally attacked is a sad commentary on how far we haven't come in this society to protect the voice of women. Rather than cowering or raging, though, we can use this moment to take a look at our own lives...
The U.S. Health & Human Services has announced new guidelines that health insurance plans beginning on or after August 1, 2012 will cover various women's preventative services, including birth control, voluntary sterilization, and emergency contraception. What does this mean for you?
I'd never been one of those girls who'd dreamt about her perfect wedding. The virgin-white dress, the exorbitant costs, the fuss over a big, shiny rock—none of it ever appealed to me. I wanted to find a lifelong partner, and a family sounded nice, too, but honestly? I never cared much about that piece of paper. So why did I just marry my boyfriend after pondering it for a mere two hours? One (evidently all-too-common) reason: health insurance.
Pfizer—arguably the world's largest pharmaceutical company—announced today that Pfizer will offer free drugs (yes, even Viagra) to everyone who lost their jobs and health insurance since January 1st. Far away in the distance you can hear the whimpered cries of the guy who was laid off the last week of December. The drug company is planning on doling out 70 of their "most widely prescribed" drugs, free of charge, as long as you can a.) provide a pink slip and b.) sign a statement claiming money problems. This free lunch will continue for exactly one year, with enrollment open until Dec. 31st.
It's hard to be single when certain things paying taxes, traveling, covering health care costs are cheaper for married couples than for individuals. Were I prone to conspiracy theorizing, I'd think something was up. As SavvySugar reports, getting health insurance or paying lower premiums have served as the primary catalysts for 7% of all US marriages. Before you begin to mourn traditional unions, fear not, the article claims most of these marriages were between already coupled pairs who had otherwise decided to eschew the formality of a legal union.
John McCain press corps got silence instead of 'straight talk' when asked by a reporter what he would do about the fact that some health insurance plans cover Viagra but not birth control. Watch his awkward answer regarding b.s. double standards after eight seconds of squirming!
