Media ignore GOP proposal that would cause many to lose insurance coverage for abortion
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on August 29th, 2009 4:41 am by HL
Media ignore GOP proposal that would cause many to lose insurance coverage for abortion
Several media outlets have purported to fact-check claims about government funding for abortion but have ignored the fact that a proposed amendment by abortion opponents would have had the effect of forcing many who currently have abortion coverage to lose such coverage even if they receive no government subsidy. The amendment offered by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA) would have barred anyone who receives insurance through the health care exchanges created by the House bill from buying insurance that covers abortion.
GOP proposal would have prohibited insurance plans that cover abortion from participating in exchange
Stupak-Pitts proposal prohibited federal funds from being used “to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion.” From the Stupak-Pitts directs the agency overseeing the exchange to ensure that in every area of the country, there exists at least one exchange-participating plan that provides coverage for abortion and one plan that does not provide such coverage. It also requires plans that do cover abortion to ensure that “any affordability credits provided under subtitle C of title II are not used for purposes of paying for” abortions other than in cases of rape and incest and in cases where the pregnant woman’s life is in danger.
Transcripts
From the August 12 broadcast of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric:
ATTKISSON: But separating fact from fiction isn’t always easy in a health care reform bill that’s not finished. In fact, four different versions have been approved by congressional committees. We searched for answers among the three drafts available. On abortion —
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: What is your position on taxpayer-funded abortion, which will increase the death of preborn infants by 30 percent?
ATTKISSON: Would the government pay for abortion? That’s unclear. Two of the bills don’t address the question at all. Under one version, abortions would have to be available through at least one insurance plan. But Democrats say abortions would be paid for with the patient’s premium, not federal money.
From the August 13 broadcast of ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson:
GIBSON: And at the town hall meetings, the subject of abortion is often mentioned. Many questioners maintaining that reform would put the government in the business of paying for abortions. Well, are they right? As we continue fact checking the health-care battle, Kate Snow looks at the questions surrounding abortion.
[begin video clip]
SNOW: Senator Arlen Specter was asked about abortion at a town hall meeting this week.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D-PA): Young lady, you have the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I do not want to pay on a health care plan that includes the right for a woman to kill her unborn baby. Is it true that this plan is in the health care bill?
SNOW: The basic question there: Is the right to abortion included in health care reform? The facts: The original bills in both the House and Senate never explicitly addressed the subject, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come up.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I’m referring to Section 1714 that talks about family planning services. All right? Starts on Page 769.
SNOW: He’s not wrong. Section 1714 does talk about family planning for women on Medicaid. It will allow states to counsel or provide abortion, using state money. But could federal money be used toward abortion? That is the question that comes up most often at those town hall meetings.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I’m talking about taxpayer-funded abortion. We have to pay for it, OK, whether we agree with it or not.
SNOW: Will health care reform lead to taxpayer-funded abortions? Unclear. Current law states federal funds cannot be used for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. But under health care reform, lower income Americans would have their health care subsidized by the government, and they will be allowed to pick a health plan that covers abortion. The president has said the government should not pay for it.
OBAMA: You know I’m pro-choice. But I think we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of, you know, government-funded health care.
SNOW: One version of the House reform bill would allow health plans to cover abortions as long as they were paid for entirely with private funds. It might not be the easiest thing to regulate, keeping public and private money separate, but experts say it could work.
[end video clip]
SNOW: That version of the House bill may end up being the final version, but frankly, we just don’t know yet. And, of course, the Senate is working on its own version. So, the bottom line is, we don’t know yet if taxpayers could end up funding abortions. It is up to the members of Congress, Charlie, and the president.
GIBSON: All right, Kate Snow reporting, fact-checking again tonight.
