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In Brave Push to Protect Men's Money, GOP Moves to Dismantle Prenatal Coverage

If you think this sort of idiocy is painful, wait until you have to forego an epidural to save money.

Below is what happened on Trump's 35th day in office. You can find out what damage was done every other day so far on the Saddest Calendar on the Internet.

Despite the GOP's voiced dedication to the protection of women and children, the next part of the Affordable Care Act that may be on the chopping block is quite literally about the protection of women and children: pregnancy-related care, such as prenatal coverage. This type of care is also in the interest of fathers, even though Representative John Shimkus (R-IL) said just last week that one of his main issues with Obamacare has to do with "men having to purchase prenatal care."

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It seems that Shimkus's stance isn't so worrying to all, considering that House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers recently suggested to GOP allies that the next phase of the dismantling the ACA would include the Essential Benefits Package. "The benefits package, a core provision of the ACA, requires qualifying health insurance plans to cover a set of medical treatments, including pregnancy-related medical care," The Intercept reports.

As outlined by the National Institutes of Health, access to prenatal care is essential to ensuring pregnancy is not only healthy for the mother, but also the fetus: Doctors help mothers control pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure, keep an eye on red flags that could be sign of a potential future complication, and answer any questions regarding medication, delivery method, and substance use. Prenatal care can also be prohibitively expensive.

A 2013 study from Truven Health Analytics paints a bleak picture: The study found the average price charged for pregnancy and newborn care was about $30,000 for a vaginal delivery and $50,000 for a cesarean. Of this, commercial insurers paid out an average of $18,329 and $27,866, respectively. The same year, the National Women's Law Center reported that 12 percent of individual market plans included maternity benefits. In 2014, when Obamacare went into effect, the ACA guaranteed coverage of a handful of preventative measures for those under non-grandfathered plans, including: administration of folic acid supplements, prenatal care visits, alcohol and tobacco use counseling, and a variety of screenings."

Read more: 'Women Are Dying': The Severe Effects of Clinic Closures on Undocumented Women

Before Obamacare, pregnancy was also considered a pre-existing condition that would prevent an expectant parent—male or female—from obtaining coverage in 45 states, according to Healthsinsurance.org. Additionally, a previous cesarean section could also be considered a reason to decline a woman's application for coverage or charge her a higher premium.

To lower the cost, women could okay the absence of an obstetrician at prenatal visits and delivery, or forego an epidural, which costs around $1,200, to alleviate pain during delivery.

While it is true that men do have to pay for maternal care, given that "preventative care, birth control, and maternal health services are among the essential benefits laid out in Obamacare," according to Think Progress, as Representative Michael Doyle (D-PA) reminded Shimkus, "there's no such thing as a la carte insurance."