What is it about contraception that gets people so fired up?

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that family-owned, privately-held companies with religious beliefs are exempt from carrying certain forms of birth control in their health care plans. The 5-4 decision exempted such companies as Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties from having to pay for morning-after pills and IUDs. These companies believe these types of birth control are similar to abortion and they are opposed to them for that reason. This is a win for religious rights.

It’s worth noting both Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties will still supply most birth control pills and other types of contraception.

Here’s the rub. So many people get all fired up about contraception. We received plenty of feedback about it during Monday’s Rob & Karie show.

Here’s an example:

The girls want some type of birth control right? Why do most women want birth control? Not to get better skin care, Rob. I refuse to pay for a girl to be a whore. Don’t want kids, keep your legs closed.

One more:

If your (sic) a female, why should somebody else have to pay for your birth control..!! It’s another form of ENTITLEMENT ..!!

Let me break it down for you: Most health care spending comes down to choices. Choices about what we eat, what we drink, what we smoke or what kind of exercise we do. In fact, 70 percent of healthcare spending is a direct result of choices. Most of it is preventable.

The former CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, wrote about this in the Wall Street Journal:

Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70 percent of all healthcare spending — heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity — are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices.

But with health insurance our choices don’t just affect the price of our own healthcare. Most of us receive our healthcare through an employer. Costs are spread out. So, collectively, we all pay for everyone’s unhealthy choices through doctors or hospital visits. Those decisions cause other people’s premiums to rise. It’s literally a ‘we’re all in it together’ scenario.

It’s not just contraception. I’d argue with the texter above and say health insurance as a whole has become an entitlement because a collective pool of people pays for the poor decisions of others.

Others think birth control is only about sex. An example from today’s Rob & Karie show:

Tell the girls to get condoms. No reason why hobby lobby should support a girl likes to sleep around.

But, 58 percent of women surveyed said they use the pill for all kinds of medical reasons.

So let’s get real. Healthcare is a mess, but it’s not because of contraception.