LYONS COUNTY, NV—Licensed prostitutes in Nevada have formed the political group "Hookers For Health Care" to oppose Republican Senators' impending health care legislation, which they say will have a devastating effect on working girls and their families, and result in millions of their courtesan colleagues losing their current medical coverage.
Nevada is the only state in the U.S. that permits legal prostitution in a number of rurally-located brothels. All of the women working in the licensed bordellos do so as independent contractors; therefore, they are responsible for getting their own health care coverage. After ObamaCare (formally, the Affordable Care Act) was passed several years ago, tens of thousands of prostitutes nationwide were for the first time able to obtain affordable health care insurance for themselves and their families. Now that ObamaCare is on the verge of being repealed by the U.S. Senate, and replaced with a radically different plan which has been labeled "TrumpCare" (formally, the American Health Care Act), U.S. hookers are outraged and launching a political offensive with "Hookers For Health Care"—lobbying politicians, protesting in the streets, and waging battle on social media to stop the Republican effort.
Alice Little, a 20-something legal working girl from Dennis Hof's Sagebrush Ranch brothel near Carson City, Nevada, is spearheading the anti-TrumpCare "Hookers For Health Care" drive, which has already seen hundreds of her fellow hookers sign up to save their health care coverage.
"Hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions, of sex workers in the U.S. will lose their health care coverage if the TrumpCare bill passes, and even more will be adversely affected as a result of the legislation," Little said. "This includes Nevada's most unique and vulnerable demographic: the thousands of licensed working girls who ply their trade in the only state where prostitution is legal. But we are classified as independent contractors, which puts us at the mercy of the healthcare marketplace to obtain our own insurance. We are now united as one, 'Hookers For Health Care,' to keep our current health care options, and protect ourselves and our families."
Little, who last year was crowned "Hooker Of The Year" for the seven Dennis Hof-owned brothels including the world famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch, lists three reasons why she feels TrumpCare will have horrific results for Nevada's legal sex industry. She suggests that cuts to Medicaid could severely reduce a woman's opportunity to thrive in the Nevada prostitution industry.
"I have been fortunate to amass a strong clientele and establish myself as a financially successful businesswoman within Nevada's legal brothel industry, but that can take time," Little said. "A young woman entering our business, who in many cases may also be a single mother with limited financial means, will also need time to build her customer base, and expanded access to Medicaid for her or her children may be the only way that she can protect in case of medical misfortune."
"Helping Americans to help themselves should be an important role of any government assistance program, and TrumpCare would deal a death blow to the ability of so many to become self-sustaining citizens," said Little, adding that TrumpCare will also negatively impact the massive support staff that run Nevada's legal brothels.
"There is actually a substantial workforce that labors behind the scenes at a legal brothel to allow us to financially thrive," Little explained. "Cashiers, bartenders, housekeepers and drivers all work hard to provide the backbone of our business that earns our clients' patronage. All of these employees are Nevada residents, and have guaranteed access to healthcare through ObamaCare's employer mandate. If ObamaCare were repealed, that mandate would be lifted, and these hardworking parents and grandparents would lose access to medical coverage for themselves and their families. They are also, in many cases, among the 200,000 Nevadans who have benefitted from the Medicaid expansion that a repeal would phase out."
Additionally, Little believes that TrumpCare will take money away from her older clients, resulting in a loss of revenue for licensed sex workers.
"Under TrumpCare, insurers will be able to charge older consumers five times more than younger consumers," Little said. "People over the age of 65 make up a very large percentage of Nevada brothel clients. If these clients are forced to pay unfairly augmented health care costs, they will not have money on hand to spend on the things that make life worth living in the first place—like great sex with a beautiful and talented working girl. That will in turn have a devastating effect on our entire industry, and having a negative impact on small businesses is the antithesis of what President Trump campaigned on."
Dennis Hof and the Bunny Ranch girls are available for interviews by contacting [email protected] or 775-720-9090.
