GOP To Kill Health Bill For Nonexistent Abortion Coverage,but Provide Abortion Coverage To GOP Staff

[cal04]

GOP To Kill Health Bill For Nonexistent Abortion Coverage, But Provide Abortion Coverage To GOP Staff
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/19/abortion-odd-logic/

Republican lawmakers, as well as Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), have falsely claimed that the health reform bill allows taxpayer funded abortions. At a press conference yesterday, GOP members of Congress convened to again hammer the lie home that health reform will provide taxpayer funds for abortion.

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), a member of the GOP leadership team at the press event yesterday, blasted Democrats for trying to pass a health reform bill with supposed funds for abortion coverage. ThinkProgress spoke to McMorris-Rodgers after the event. According to disclosure reports, McMorris-Rodgers’ state Republican Party provides health insurance through AWB Health Choice — a consortium of benefit packages including Lifewise Health Plans of Washington, which covers abortions. McMorris-Rodgers assailed the nonexistent abortion coverage in the health reform bill, while brushing aside her own campaign dollars going towards plans which cover abortion. Eventually, the congresswoman relented and admitted that her campaign dollars funding abortion coverage is “not” okay:

TP: But at the same time, Lifewise Health Plans, which is what the Washington State GOP uses to provide health insurance to their employees, they cover abortion. So when you fundraise for the Washington State GOP, aren’t you providing dollars to abortion?

MCMORRIS-RODGERS: Uh, we’re talking about federal taxpayer dollars.

TP: Yeah, but isn’t this kind of like, you know, “do as I say, but not what I do?”

MCMORRIS-RODGERS: Um, I think the issue at hand is whether or not federal taxpayer dollars should be used to fund abortion –

TP: But your fundraiser dollars are used for abortions. … But campaign dollars are okay, Republican campaign dollars that you raise?

MCMORRIS-RODGERS: No, that’s not.

Listen here:http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/19/abortion-odd-logic/

McMorris-Rodger’s initial indifference to her own state party funding abortion coverage reveals the partisanship of her ploy to lie about the health bill and claim that it covers abortions. Like McMorris-Rodgers, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Newt Gingrich have health insurance plans for their campaign employees which provide abortion coverage. And until recently, even the staunchly anti-choice Republican National Committee provided abortion coverage to its employees.

The Catholic Health Association and a group of 59,000 Catholic nuns recently endorsed health reform, noting that the bill in Congress does not provide taxpayer funded abortions. Additionally, T.R. Reid, writing in the Washington Post this week, explained why anti-abortion activists should support health reform. “Increasing health-care coverage is one of the most powerful tools for reducing the number of abortions — a fact proved by years of experience in other industrialized nations.” Regardless, partisan hypocrites like McMorris-Rodgers are plowing ahead, hoping to exploit a polarizing issue to kill reform.

[sixmile]

1. Federal tax dollars are a sacred cow when it comes to abortion

Federal money is ok if it's used for mass killing and destruction by armed force, but not for abortions.
When will people realize that no woman has ever set out to get an abortion?

[RKP5637]

2. +1, n/t

[LiberalFighter]

3. Hmmm Does Stupak have health coverage for his campaign workers

that includes abortion? Or any other anti-choice Democrats?

[Maraya1969]

6. Does he have health insurance for him and his family that includes abortion?

I've wanted to know that for a long time because it is only right that he give up his health care if it contains abortion provisions.

How does one find this out? I have looked around and gotten stuck.

[LiberalFighter]

7. I say unless they can prove otherwise they have abortion coverage.

They have to provide the proof otherwise it will be the truth.

[customerserviceguy]

4. I used to live in WA state

and maybe someone here can correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought abortion was required to be covered by all policies in that state. I know they have to cover a lot of controversial things, like chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture.

In any case, I doubt it was even possible to find a policy from a major reputable insurer that doesn't cover abortion in WA. This is a little like saying that everyone who pays US income taxes favors paying for wars with them.

I also figured this was the GOP's reason for wanting to be able to buy policies from across state lines, they would be able to buy policies from places where abortion is not covered.

[ieoeja]

5. 87% of insurance plans in the US cover elective abortions.

http://www.guttmacher.org/media/inthenews/2009/07/22/index.html


It's not only the Republican Party that is hypocritical on this subject. The vast majority of rank-and-file antis must be paying for the abortions of other people sharing their insurance plan.

And, of course, that is only plan based. Even if you have a plan without coverage, it is likely a 100% certainty the insurer has other plans that do provide that coverage. Since there is nothing to prevent the insurance company from using money gleaned from one plan to cover expenses in another ... then it would seem that 100% of Americans with health insurance already contribute to abortions.

Sucks to be anti.