My colleague Amanda Marcotte and I sat down for Salon Talks with Carrie Lukas, president of the Independent Womens Forum(IWF), to discuss how the unresolved debate over health care policies in the Republican-dominated Congress impact womens health issues.

IWF is a conservative and libertarian organization that createsmessages about how women and families can be empowered by the free market rather than big government. With headlines like, In the Poconos, Another Small Business Falls Victim to Unnecessary Licensing and Who Cares for the Caregivers? and Trump Education Departments Likely Changes in Campus Sexual-Assault Policy Causes Angst Among Activists, IWF writes about health care, women at work, education, women in politics and more.

When it comes to womens health, is there an imbalance in health care costs?

Carrie Lukas: If youre an infertile woman, lets say or a woman who doesnt want to have kids I can imagine saying, You know what, my insurance has gone up the same as a woman whos had five kids. I dont know why everybody should have to be subsidizing maternity expenses.

Should we have to subsidize other peoples health care expenses in the first place?

Amanda Marcotte: Im happy to pay that money [for another womans maternity costs] so that when I get cancer, her higher premiums cover me.

Should we subsidize each others costs when it comes to beliefs? For example, why should a person who doesnt drink for religious reasons pay for substance abuse programs?

Marcotte: If I get hit by a car driven by a drunk driver, and they didnt get alcohol abuse treatment, then yes, that does affect me. Its a community issue we all depend on each others health care.

Link:

WATCH: How would the GOP health care plan affect women? - Salon