Leaders on the hill have decided that the health care reform bill should go into the business of personal relationship advice. According to the health care bill passed by the Senate before Christmas Eve, taxpayers will foot the bill for “personal responsibility education” programs.
Personal responsibility programs are detailed in the Senate health care bill (p.602) to incorporate both contraception methods and abstinence teaching, as well as “adulthood preparation” programs. The adulthood preparation program topics described in the health care bill range from “positive self-esteem” to dating, friendships, romantic involvement, marriage, and family interactions. In fact, in a twist of irony coming from federal lawmakers, instructions in handling finances is included in this kind of tax payer funded program.:
9 ‘‘(C) ADULTHOOD PREPARATION SUB10 JECTS.—The adulthood preparation subjects de
11 scribed in this subparagraph are the following:
12 ‘‘(i) Healthy relationships, such as
13 positive self-esteem and relationship dynam
14 ics, friendships, dating, romantic involve
15 ment, marriage, and family interactions.
16 ‘‘(ii) Adolescent development, such as
17 the development of healthy attitudes and
18 values about adolescent growth and develop
19 ment, body image, racial and ethnic diver
20 sity, and other related subjects.
21 ‘‘(iii) Financial literacy.
22 ‘‘(iv) Parent-child communication.
23 ‘‘(v) Educational and career success,
24 such as developing skills for employment
25 preparation, job seeking, independent liv-
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HR 3590 EAS/PP
1 ing, financial self-sufficiency, and work
2 place productivity.
3 ‘‘(vi) Healthy life skills, such as goal
4 setting, decision making, negotiation, com
5 munication and interpersonal skills, and
6 stress management.
7 ‘‘(c) RESERVATIONS OF FUNDS.—
8 ‘‘(1) GRANTS TO IMPLEMENT INNOVATIVE STRAT
9 EGIES.—From the amount appropriated under sub
10 section (f) for the fiscal year, the Secretary shall re
11 serve $10,000,000 of such amount for purposes of
12 awarding grants to entities to implement innovative
13 youth pregnancy prevention strategies and target
14 services to high-risk, vulnerable, and culturally under
15 represented youth populations, including youth in fos
16 ter care, homeless youth, youth with HIV/AIDS, preg
nant women who are under 21 years of age and their
18 partners, mothers who are under 21 years of age and
19 their partners, and youth residing in areas with high
20 birth rates for youth. An entity awarded a grant
21 under this paragraph shall agree to participate in a
22 rigorous Federal evaluation of the activities carried
23 out with grant funds.
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