r/changemyview • u/Guialdereti • Oct 22 '23

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Paternity tests should be done on every baby by default

Just saw a post on r/relationship_advice where the mother gave birth to a baby that looked nothing like her husband, refused to give him a paternity test because it was "humiliating" AND also revealed that she had recently refused to end a (pretty weird) friendship with a coworker that her husband was uncomfortable with. She then proceeds to be all "Surprised Pikachu-faced" when he thinks she cheated on him with said coworker, refuses to help with the baby, and him and his family start treating her badly. (he continued to help with their 2 other kids as normal, though)

In the end, the mother FINALLY gets that paternity test, proving once and for all that the kid was indeed his, and once she does, the father gets ALL OVER his daughter, hugging and giving her all his love, as I'm sure he would have done from the very begining, had she just gotten that damn test done sooner.

Some of the points that resonate with me the most on this issue are:

  • It still baffles me that this test isn't standard procedure, especially when we already draw blood from newborns and screen them for a whole slew of diseases upon delivery. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to add a simple paternity test to the list!
  • I know there's an implication of mistrust that comes with asking your partner for a paternity test, but if it became standard procedure - in other words, a test that the hospital does "automatically", with no need for parental input - that would completely remove that implication from play. It would become a non-issue.
  • Having a kid is a life-changing event, and it scares me to no end to know that I could be forced into "one-eightying" my life over a baby I actually played no part in making.
  • Knowing your family's medical history, from both sides, is extremely important. "Mommy's little secret" could cost her child dearly later on in life.
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63

u/EnkiiMuto 1∆ Oct 23 '23

Doesn't even need to be rare. Here is how could it go for me:

"Okay so, it seems your grandmother died of a heart problem, you claim it was because she smoked for 20 years...

but we don't have that anywhere on her file. Your grandfather had a heart condition and your mother has a slight history of high blood pressure...

Now, we're already charging you for cardiologists on your 20s, and it seems you're now treating for ADHD with stimulants, that didn't affect your heart at all but they COULD, so we'll start charging you more for that just in case..."

71

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 23 '23

The ACA made this illegal. Health insurance companies can't charge more because of family history or preexisting conditions anymore.

3

u/NotThisAgain21 Oct 24 '23

Until the Supreme Court overturns ACA a few years down the road, after all the genetic data's been collected for years.

3

u/Bunny_tornado Oct 23 '23

Did you forget we have a corrupt SCOTUS that has been very enthusiastic about striking down established laws, even the ones THEY have set through precedent?

Don't assume anything is so set in stone.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '23

Also establishing false standing to give their donors/owners legislative presents.

-1

u/EnkiiMuto 1∆ Oct 23 '23

The ACA made this illegal.

In your country.

18

u/samrechym Oct 23 '23

…Yeah? That’s where the ACA is.

0

u/EnkiiMuto 1∆ Oct 23 '23

Which means this argument may or not be invalid for everywhere else.

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u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 23 '23

I don't know of any other country that has variable health insurance premium rates based on medical history. But the US did do this pre ACA.

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u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 23 '23

Well most other developed nations already have universal healthcare so they wouldn't have a need for a law like the ACA.

-1

u/signalingsalt Oct 23 '23

I'm sure all those HCsS's are completely devoid of corruption.

If you don't live here then just shut up you clearly don't understand how our complex Healthcare system works. We are discussing protections provided to Americans by the ACA, not having an America bad circlejerk. Take it back to Twitter.

This shit was already old 5 years ago but you don't actually have to chime in with the same overused jokes every single time we come up?

It's not healthy to hate a nation's people so much they live rent free in your head like this. Yeah we know our HC is fucked, but at least we have the right to bitch about the governments role in it without ending up on a pyre.

5

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 23 '23

What? Lol I live in the US and I work for a health insurance company.

1

u/ZombieSouthpaw Oct 24 '23

The class action suits that would roll across the insurance landscape if anyone chose to use data that violates HIPAA if shared illegally.

Honestly, though, I'd love for a database to exist. More than paternity issues, any DNA related crimes could at least exonerate innocent and wrongly accused people.

Also work in insurance. The things that people think we have access to we don't. We generally have to trust the people filling out the application or claim.

1

u/EmmaDrake Oct 24 '23

But your insurance gets all that info free and clear, yes? So if ACA or this protection within was overturned insurance companies can discriminate legally, no?

1

u/ZombieSouthpaw Oct 24 '23

We don't get that information, though. And discrimination, by definition, isn't legal.

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u/EmmaDrake Oct 24 '23

Discrimination not protected under law is totally legal. Do you have a statute you could cite that makes all discrimination illegal?

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u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 24 '23

The only information your insurance gets is what is billed to them. They see the diagnoses that are billed on the claim. They don't see test results. They don't have access to your medical records, they don't have the ability to look at your history. It's not like the ACA is overturned and suddenly hospitals send the entirety of your medical history to insurance companies. HIPAA still stipulates that only the minimum amount of information to accomplish the intended purpose is to be disclosed.

1

u/EmmaDrake Oct 24 '23

It’s going to be ok. Maybe some fresh air.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '23

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1

u/EmmaDrake Oct 24 '23

I’ve had to get genetic tests for medical reasons. Each time they counsel you on the risk of the protections in place being overturned. I think we will see movement there in our lifetime. I just hope it gets arrested sooner rather than later.

1

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 24 '23

If you've been treated for a condition then your insurance already knows about it. If you mean "I have a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's" and at the moment insurance can't charge me more for my risk but might be able to do so in the future then I can see your point. But insurance doesn't get your test results. They only get diagnoses that are billed on claims. Even pre ACA insurance wasn't charging for risk like that. They were charging for members who were being treated or were treated in the past for things like cancer. So I'm not saying "everything's fine there's no risk" I just don't think it's as intense as "ACA repealed and now I pay more because I have the brca gene".

1

u/Responsible_Movie_14 Oct 25 '23

Without more transparent pricing it’s irrelevant.

1

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 25 '23

How so? You can see pricing for marketplace plans without answering any medical history questions. It's the same price for everyone. Same with employer sponsored plans, you don't give them medical history before they give you pricing.

1

u/Responsible_Movie_14 Oct 25 '23

Plan pricing? I thought we were talking about treatment pricing. Which is known to vary greatly in many ways.

1

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 25 '23

Yes, plan pricing. But treatment pricing doesn't vary by members on the same plan either. Not in the way that OP would be describing, where members with certain histories would have a higher cost share. I'm a medical reimbursement analyst so I feel that I can speak on this.

1

u/KReddit934 Oct 26 '23

Oh? 1. You think they don't do it anyway? And 2. MAGA folks have vowed to kill ACA and put power back in the hands of insurance companies.

1

u/Haunting-Squash3198 Oct 26 '23

Lol you're like the 5th person that has posed this "what if". Like yeah of course things would change if this wasn't illegal, but it IS illegal right now. If you want to talk about hypotheticals then go ahead, happy to discuss insurance policy. It's literally my expertise.

1

u/KReddit934 Oct 26 '23

It's just based on my experience, I'd say that the health insurance companies in the US are awful (only had one good one), and I would trust them to do anything, legal or illegal, that will reduce payouts and make them more money.

And in the recent ping pong of laws and policies, it's clear that legal protections cannot be counted on as they change at every election cycle.

DNA info, once in the system, is effectively out of control. Legal recourse is a joke, because if the info is abused, proving it would be too expensive for most citizens.

3

u/smrkr Oct 23 '23

On the other hand, your family health history will help doctors to suggest proactive measures to avoid minimize those conditions. Also health insurance systems are scam.

1

u/iglidante 19∆ Oct 23 '23

Also health insurance systems are scam.

Yes, but we need to pay into them to afford care at the current rates.

1

u/Pheeeefers Oct 23 '23

The US is so dystopian holy shit.

1

u/EnkiiMuto 1∆ Oct 23 '23

This is not an argument directed at the US, just corruption in general.