Just spoke to one of my co-workers today, an LPN who works part time for my company. Single mom to three young teens, smart enough to leave her son intact after seeing circumcision firsthand (and relax, I don't think that people who circumcise are the opposite). She can't afford insurance and is low income so her kids were eligible for Medicaid health care coverage. If anyone needs it they do - two of her children have ongoing health issues.

She told me yesterday their Medicaid was discontinued... So what the heck is she supposed to do now?!

Not only that, my low income elderly home health clients have had their benefits cut and more cuts are most likely on their way in the near future.

Sickiningly, MY state - MICHIGAN- continues to completely cover elective circumcision.

:angry :angry :angry :angry :angry :angry :angry :angry :angry

Well, Grandma's just going to have to wait for her insulin, there are dreaded PREPUCES to cut before they infect all of Michigan with their deadly Smegma Power. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

(It's so funny, I have two intact sons, I've had two intact male lovers, & never a shmear of the frightening shmegma have I witnessed. Warm running water? Do you think?)

Goodness forbid we teach basic hygiene of a .....dare I say it....penis!:lol

You know, I've been trying to think about the area of intactivism that could do the most good right now. I truly think that getting Medicaid and other insurance companies to stop covering RIC is it. If there isn't an organizing effort going on - we should get it going. If it is - someone should tell me about it! Anyone?

Yeah, it's called the Medicaid project. You could search for it or I'm sure someone else will post a link.

Thanks. The more I think about insurance companies PAYING for this horrible surgery - the more irritated I get.

Goodness forbid we teach basic hygiene of a .....dare I say it....penis!:lol

shhh! don't say that word! :duck:

That's not the word we can't say :lol.

From what I've heard, in my state (TN) they've done some serious cut-backs in the medicaid program recently. People who badly needed it were kicked off, ect.

Yes, they cover RIC. :shake

They need to stop covering elective surgery on healthy newborns and start covering more people who NEED medical care! :hopmad

Bandgeek, I'm dizzy with strep right now & can't come up with a professional sounding letter (and Lord knows I'm tired of all the shuffling they've done when I've written lactivist letters lately), but if you come up with something TN orientated, let me know.

If you are from Michigan check out

http://www.nocircofmi.org/action_alert.htm

ACTION ALERT:

Get Michigan Out of the Free Circumcision Business!


Help Michigan Become the 17th State to Cut Government-Paid Circumcisions

Write to Michigan Legislators to End Medicaid Funding for Unnecessary Circumcisions

If enough people can act, things will change.

Same here in GA- I believe this year they took all prosthetic limbs off the list of what is covered. Isn't it ironic that someone who lost their limb can't get a prosthesis but they are more than willing to cover cosmetic partial amputation of the penis...:irked:

Same here in GA- I believe this year they took all prosthetic limbs off the list of what is covered. Isn't it ironic that someone who lost their limb can't get a prosthesis but they are more than willing to cover cosmetic partial amputation of the penis...:irked:

That is so :censored up!

I think someone awhile ago posted that they wrote their state medicaid (or maybe it was their insurance company) and their reply was that they still cover it because there is a high demand for it. So, lots of women want ther insurance to cover boob jobs. Doesn't mean it's gonna happen. :shrug I think most of the blame falls on the people who choose what's covered and what's not, but I still place partial blame on the people demanding it. When people *insist* they need to have their sons circ'ed, that means more insurances are going to cover it and more doctors are going to do it, which means more medical staff are going to assume most people want it, which leads to many parents getting coerced into doing it, more babies are going to "accidently* get put on the assembly line to have it done, and parents who don't want it done have to actually *fight* to keep their son off the cutting board.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I had a lot of people at the hospital ask if I wanted it done, a couple of them assumed it was being done, even though my chart said no, and one even acted *shocked* that I wasn't having it done (it IS covered of course). I was *exhausted* and should have just rested, but everytime they needed to check something with him, I had to remind them not to circ, and everytime they brought him back, I checked his diaper with a pit in my stomach expecting a bloody stump. Because people demand this, *I* have to *fight* to keep my son intact. It's NOT RIGHT.

And it goes even further than that. Because a lot of doctors don't see many intact boys, they fail to learn about intact care, and once again, I have to fight to keep my son from being sexually assaulted at the doctor's office. If people would quit demanding circ, there would be more incentive to learn about intact care (parents would demand that doctors learn) and this crap wouldn't happen nearly as often.

Ok, I'm done ranting. UGH.

If you are from Michigan check out

http://www.nocircofmi.org/action_alert.htm



If enough people can act, things will change.

That's part of why I'm so frustrated... like many in this state, I have written, I have called, I have emailed.

I couldn't even get my own damn state representative and senator to reply to multiple letters I had sent, multple calls I had made. What's additionally frustrating is that my state rep's aunt and uncle taught our childbirth class and the rep and his wife were in it! I mentioned that in my letter, still didn't get a reply.

The rep is Republican, the senator Democrat... doesn't make a difference, they didn't listen. :irked:

Grrrrr...

First point, are the people to contact the correct key decision makers?

It might take many people to contact them, even thousands.

Eventually they will have to look at the issue.

(It's so funny, I have two intact sons, I've had two intact male lovers, & never a shmear of the frightening shmegma have I witnessed. Warm running water? Do you think?)

No kidding, huh?

My son is 3, hasn't retracted yet (but seems pretty loose) and I haven't seen even the tiniest speck of smegma.

Jen

No kidding, huh?

My son is 3, hasn't retracted yet (but seems pretty loose) and I haven't seen even the tiniest speck of smegma.

Jen

31 years with a foreskin, not a problem (*knock on wood* :lol) and have never had smegma; NOT that it's a "bad" thing.