Laura Kaplan

Rx for Change: Jane’s History Resonates

By Laura Kaplan | Mar 15, 2017 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Jane’s History Resonates

Over 40 years after Jane folded when abortion was legalized, its echoes continue to reverberate. But the right to an abortion has never stopped being under attack.

Rx for Change: Medicare 101

By Laura Kaplan | Jul 12, 2016 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Medicare 101

Taken from the July/August 2016 issue of The Women’s Health Activist Newsletter. For months I’ve been training as a Medicare counselor with my State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Too often, when I’m answering questions about Medicare, an iron gate…

Rx for Change: Abortion Disconnect

By Laura Kaplan | Mar 14, 2016 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Abortion Disconnect

Whenever I hear a pro-choice politician say, “No one is pro-abortion,” I want to shout, “Excuse me but I’m pro-abortion, and I am not alone.”  I’m pro-abortion in the same way I’m pro-organ transplant or any other medical procedure: when you need one, you should be able to get one. 

Rx for Change: Bending the Old Saw

By Laura Kaplan | Nov 10, 2015 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Bending the Old Saw

There’s an old saw that says: The right cares only about individuals and not about people in the aggregate, while the left cares only about people in the aggregate and not about individuals.

Rx for Change: Singing the Part D Medicare Blues

By Laura Kaplan | Jul 24, 2015 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Singing the Part D Medicare Blues

One of the few things I looked forward to when I approached 65 was becoming Medicare eligible. Before becoming eligible for Medicare, I found a high deductible plan that I could afford as a self-employed person. Since I’m a really healthy person, it worked fine until I broke my ankle and needed surgery and a hospitalization.

Rx for Change: Language Matters, Especially When Talking About Root Causes

By Laura Kaplan | Mar 27, 2015 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: Language Matters, Especially When Talking About Root Causes

For my 67th birthday this year, my dear friend Peaches — with whom I shared those heady years in Jane, the underground, feminist abortion service — sent me a card. On the front was a picture of an elderly woman (much older than me) carrying a placard that said, “I Cannot Believe I Still Have To Protest This Shit.” Amen, sister, I thought as I read it and laughed.

Sleep Talking

By Laura Kaplan | Jul 1, 2013 | Comments Off on Sleep Talking

For people over age 60, insomnia is the most common medical problem and can lead to poor quality of life, accidents, falls, and illness. Sleep problems are reported more commonly in women than in men.