Same Sex Unions Essays - Gender, Human Behavior, Human Sexuality

Same Sex Unions Essays - Gender, Human Behavior, Human Sexuality Same Sex Unions Book Review: Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell The question of same-sex unions and their legitimacy in many different societies is a topic that has been hotly debated for centuries. One society in particular is pre-modern Europe. Noted author and historian Dr. John Boswell looks extensively at the topic of same-sex unions in his book Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. Dr. Boswell argues extensively in his book that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches not only sanctioned unions between partners of the same sex, but actually sanctified them. This critique examines some specific aspects of the book, and analyzes them. Before an analysis of the Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe can be evaluated, its important to know a little about the author himself and what he stood for. Dr. Boswell was a professor at Yale University and Chairman of Yales history department for many years. He was an award winning scholar, author and historian. In addition to writing Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe he also wrote several other works such as Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality. Two of his greatest professional achievements included being a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Fulbright scholar. It is his extensive training as a Historian and an understanding of his own homosexuality that gave him unique insight into the writing of Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. In Same Sex Unions in Modern Europe, Boswell takes a highly controversial position in saying that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches actually sanctified same sex unions, while at the same time, presenting his viewpoints in such a way that any well educated historian would very carefully. He almost contradicts himself at several points in the book and mentions that his ideas are subject to debate among his peers. Boswell, in writing this book has essentially established a Premodern Europe where heterosexual marriage was largely ignored by pagans and discouraged by the church. Also, according to Boswell, men would essentially pair off in order to perform duties that were considered essential to society such as war, trade, education, friendship, etc. As Boswell puts it it is hardly surprising that there should been a Christian solemnizing same sex unions. I do not agree with him on this premise, although homosexuality has existed in animal species and in humans since the beginnings of our existence, how can he be so bold as to assume that the majority of these supposed pairs were homosexual? In my opinion that broad of a statement is like saying that any two men that shake hands or embrace must automatically be gay. There is a second specific point that I wish to point out with regards to medieval priest and the monastic life. Boswell points out in Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe that young boys caught performing homosexual acts were punished by being sent to a monastery. Was this meant as punishment to deprive these boys of their youth or to isolate them from the supposed forces that made them perform these acts? Boswell points out in any event, being placed with monks was likely to provide the best environment to locate other men romantically interested in their own gender. Thats all well and good, but he undermines his own thesis here. If the Christian Right of the time so vehemently supported same sex unions, then why would boys who engaged in same-sex acts be punished at all? Should not they be encouraged to be homosexual? Boswell not only mildly contradicts himself here, he goes a step further and practically destroys his own thesis. Through reading Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, relating it to my own experiences as a history major, and gay male, not to mention discussions in class, I do not believe that same sex unions were as heavily sanctioned in Premodern Europe by churches as Boswell would have us believe. It is my opinion that there have fluctuations between then and now as to exactly how much homosexuality is tolerated by the so-called mainstream society. There were places such as Ancient Greece where it was accepted and modern day liberal locations such as San Francisco, California that have a large gay/lesbian population. In both places both in the past

How Much Does Xarelto Cost 4 Money-Saving Tips

How Much Does Xarelto Cost 4 Money-Saving Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you have atrial fibrillation or a high risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), blood clots, and/or strokes, your doctor might prescribe you Xarelto. A novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC), or blood thinner, Xarelto works by keeping dangerous blood clots from forming. But how much does Xarelto cost? Read on to learn about the Xarelto price for those who do and don’t have health insurance. In addition, we'll explain how this cost changes depending on the pharmacy you visit, show you how to find a Xarelto coupon, and compare the Xarelto cost with those of other similar drugs. How Much Does Xarelto Cost? Without insurance, the typical Xarelto price is more than $400 for 30 tablets, or around $15 per pill. That said, it's possible to get Xarelto at a far cheaper rate. How much Xarelto costs for you depends on two main factors, which we'll discuss in more detail below: Your health insurance The pharmacy you go to Health Insurance Most health insurance plans, including Medicare, at least partly cover the cost of Xarelto. According to the official Xarelto website, â€Å"more than 90% of people with prescription coverage and on Medicare are covered for Xarelto at the lowest branded copay cost.† In other words, if your insurance covers Xarelto, you’ll only need to pay the lowest co-pay for brand-name drugs for your insurance plan. This means you'll likely pay around $10-$50 for your Xarelto prescription, or slightly more than whatever your co-pay is for generic drugs. If you’re on Medicare, you can get an estimate for your Xarelto co-pay through the website GoodRx, which offers a convenient Xarelto cost calculator. If you have a prescription deductible, be aware that you must meet this amount before you can pay your co-pay for Xarelto. So if you haven't met your deductible, you'll likely end up paying the full cost of Xarelto (that is, more than $400 for a bottle of 30 pills). There are a couple of things to note, though. For one, there are currently no generic alternatives to Xarelto (generics are usually cheaper than name-brand drugs). Thus, you won't be able to find an identical drug at a cheaper price. The other thing to note is that dosage doesn’t generally affect the cost of Xarelto. According to Drugs.com (as well as the table below, which we'll look at shortly), you’ll usually pay the same price for a 10-mg pill as you would for a 15- or 20-mg pill. A 15-mg Xarelto pill. Pharmacy The second major factor that affects Xarelto cost is the pharmacy you go to. The following table shows estimated out-of-pocket costs for Xarelto. These are the prices you’d pay at different pharmacies if you didn’t have insurance or if your insurance didn’t cover Xarelto. All estimates for pharmacies (except for Costco) are based on the price listings at GoodRx. Note: The â€Å"- † indicates that estimates are unavailable for that dosage of Xarelto. However, you can generally assume that the prices for all dosages will be close to the same. Pharmacy Dosage Price for 30 Tablets Price per Tablet Costco 10 mg $438.74 $14.62 15 mg $438.74 $14.62 20 mg $438.74 $14.62 CVS 10 mg $481 $16.03 15 mg $484 $16.13 20 mg $473 $15.77 Kroger 10 mg $466 $15.53 15 mg $466 $15.53 20 mg $466 $15.53 Meijer 10 mg - - 15 mg - - 20 mg $446 $14.87 Rite Aid 10 mg - - 15 mg $5 $17.03 20 mg $5 $17.03 Safeway 10 mg $527 $17.57 15 mg - - 20 mg $531 $17.70 Target 10 mg - - 15 mg - - 20 mg $471 $15.70 Walgreens 10 mg $495 $16.50 15 mg $507 $16.90 20 mg $477 $15.90 As you can see, there isn’t a whole lot of difference among Xarelto prices at various pharmacies. Most of the time, you’ll pay anywhere in the range of $440-$530 for a bottle of 30 pills, with Costco offering some of the lowest prices, and Safeway and Rite Aid offering some of the highest. Another feature to note is that dosage doesn’t usually change pharmacy costs, or at least not by more than $10-$30. How to Get a Xarelto Coupon or Discount There are a few ways you can get large Xarelto discounts, many of which are through the official Xarelto website. If you have commercial health insurance (not Medicare or Medicaid) with prescription coverage, you can sign up for the Janssen CarePath Savings Program Card. This card gets you a $0 co-pay on your Xarelto prescription each month, making it entirely free for you! Alternatively, if you have Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance, or no insurance at all, you might be eligible for an up-to-30-day free trial of Xarelto. Finally, if you don’t have prescription coverage for Xarelto, the official Xarelto website recommends getting in contact with the Johnson Johnson Patient Assistance Foundation (JJPAF) to see if you qualify for financial assistance. In addition to the official website, tons of coupon and medical websites offer Xarelto discounts. You can search for these on Google by typing in â€Å"Xarelto coupon† or â€Å"Xarelto discount.† Note, however, that many coupons cannot be used with health insurance. One solid website is Drugs.com, which offers a savings card you can use at most pharmacies to get discounted rates on your Xarelto prescription. GoodRx is another good resource, with free coupons knocking off up to $100 on a bottle of Xarelto. How Does the Xarelto Cost Compare With Other Drugs? According to the official Xarelto website, â€Å"Xarelto has the lowest out-of-pocket cost than any other blood thinner in its class in the U.S.† This means that, compared to other anticoagulants in the same class as Xarelto- i.e., factor Xa inhibitors- Xarelto should be more affordable. Other factor Xa inhibitors include Eliquis and Savaysa. Here is a quick look at how these three medications compare with one another in regard to cost: Drug Name What GoodRx Says What Drugs.com Says* Eliquis $482.69 for 60 5-mg tablets $413.44 for 60 5-mg tablets Savaysa $380.05 for 30 60-mg tablets $336.23 for 30 60-mg tablets Xarelto $480.09 for 30 20-mg tablets $413.09 for 30 20-mg tablets *All prices are based on the Drugs.com discount card. In this chart, we’ve compared the estimated prices of the most common dosages and quantities of these three similar anticoagulant medications. But because there are wide ranges in cost, quantity, and dosage for these drugs, it's difficult to determine which is the cheapest. Ultimately, it's best to consult your doctor or pharmacist to see which medication will be most affordable for you based on your insurance. Recap: What Is the Cost of Xarelto? The cost of Xarelto, a prescription blood thinner, ultimately depends on whether your health insurance covers the drug and which pharmacy you go to. Since most insurance plans cover Xarelto, your co-pay should normally cost around $10-50 (assuming you’ve already met your prescription deductible, if you have one). If your insurance doesn’t cover Xarelto or if you don’t have insurance, you’ll need to pay the full price, which is anywhere from $440 to $530 for a one-month supply. Most pharmacies charge similar fees for Xarelto. Costco offers some of the lowest prices at around $440, while Safeway and Rite Aid offer some of the highest prices above $500. Many discounts for Xarelto are available online and through the manufacturer. One discount, available on the official Xarelto website, works with your insurance to give you a $0 co-pay each month. It's difficult to compare the cost of Xarelto to those of other similar medications such as Eliquis and Savaysa due to differences in dosage, quantity, and pharmacy. Therefore, talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you want more information about which medication will be most affordable for you.