http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/abortion-which-side-is-fabricating/
I received this analysis by email from a friend. What do you think?
Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans.
August 21, 2009
Updated: August 25, 2009
Summary
Will health care legislation mean "government funding of abortion"? President Obama said Wednesday that’s "not true" and among several "fabrications" being spread by "people who are bearing false witness." But abortion foes say it’s the president who’s making a false claim. "President Obama today brazenly misrepresented the abortion-related component" of health care legislation, said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee. So which side is right?
The truth is that bills now before Congress don’t require federal money to be used for supporting abortion coverage. So the president is right to that limited extent. But it’s equally true that House and Senate legislation would allow a new "public" insurance plan to cover abortions, despite language added to the House bill that technically forbids using public funds to pay for them. Obama has said in the past that "reproductive services" would be covered by his public plan, so it’s likely that any new federal insurance plan would cover abortion unless Congress expressly prohibits that. Low- and moderate-income persons who would choose the "public plan" would qualify for federal subsidies to purchase it. Private plans that cover abortion also could be purchased with the help of federal subsidies. Therefore, we judge that the president goes too far when he calls the statements that government would be funding abortions "fabrications."
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Farewell!
3 years ago
The FactCheck guys/gals are correct – see the HR 3200 Amendment.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the whole argument is quite disingenuous. If you obtain health insurance from your employer or are self employed and have insurance these same arguments used against the Obama health care plan can be used against you as an individual. First you are being subsidized by the government by not having to pay taxes on premiums or co-pays therefore you are having government help pay for your health care already. Second, if your insurance company comingles any of the premium funds you have paid, which they all do, then you are already personally subsidizing someone else’s abortion if the plan covers the procedure, which they do.
So, if you don’t want the evil government paying for any abortion ever, an honest person must immediately divest themselves of any connection to any health insurance whatsoever just to stand on their soapbox, er, I mean principles.