Hilary Swank is taking a stand against the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) health plan, demanding that the guild treat “all their members equally” after she was denied treatment for her malignant ovarian cysts because of a sexist and outdated mode of thinking about women’s healthcare.The
Boys Don’t Cry star is in fact suing SAG-AFTRA and filed her court papers on August 8
th, saying in those documents that she was diagnosed with malignant ovarian cysts in 2008, but in 2015 the trustees “stopped allowing Swank’s claims for treatment of ovarian cysts,” citing what she calls “antiquated, barbaric” notions about women’s reproductive healthcare and the management of pain.[video_embed id='2031610']RELATED: Hilary Swank makes her big comeback with 'Away'[/video_embed]“I’m suing SAG/AFTRA Healthplan. It’s time we are treated fairly,” she stated in the
court documents. “I have experienced it in my own life, and I continually read about it across social media and in the press. Their policies are antiquated, barbaric and primarily view the role of women’s organs solely as a means for procreation.”Swank pointed to an exclusion in the health plan offered by SAG-AFTRA, denying treatment for “infertility,” something that Swank notes relies, “on the notion that the only purpose of preserving the health of an ovary is to procreate.”As many women and people with ovaries already know, ovarian cysts are fluid-filled pockets inside or on the surface of an ovary. While it is possible they can cause no symptoms, many women report severe pelvic pain, irregular periods, bloating, a swollen stomach and a reduction in fertility.The
Million Dollar Baby star says she and her doctors provided documentation to the health provider about her symptoms, insisting the coverage she was seeking didn’t include fertility, but the health provider dug in its heels and insisted “there was no medically necessary reason to treat or monitor ovarian cysts other than for ‘infertility treatment.’”It has been well documented and reported
in the press and in
medical journals how women’s symptoms and pain are often overlooked or diminished by the medical community because of long-held sexist views that women
over-exaggerate their pain. Only recently did the medical community acknowledge that the pain caused by menstrual cramps
is akin to having a heart attack.Swank’s statement continued, “My hope is to create change for all woman suffering from women’s health issues that have to battle with insurance companies who diminish the significance of their problems, don’t believe the patient (or their doctor’s) explanations surrounding their suffering, and severely preclude coverage to only incredibly limited services and procedures.”She ended her statement boldly asserting the sexism present in the health care provider’s treatment of her, saying, “SAG/AFTRA Healthplan claim they treat and protect all their members equally. I don’t believe this is true. If you’re a woman suffering from female health issues, I have no doubt you’ll agree with me. If you’re a man, ask your mother, your daughter, your sister, or a girlfriend. I already know the answer."[video_embed id='2032102']Before you go: Jussie Smollett opens up in a rare interview[/video_embed]
