Pro-life leaders are calling for transparency in the health care
exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act, asking that they include
an open acknowledgement of whether each individual plan funds abortion.
“Abortions are covered” under the health care law, and “taxpayers are
going to be funding it,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for
Life of America, at an Oct. 31 rally in front of the U.S. Capitol.
“But what's really interesting is the secretary (of Health and Human
Services) herself wrote a memo this April demanding that all insurance
providers cover Planned Parenthood and their services in the health
insurance exchanges,” she continued.
Participants in the demonstration, hosted by Students for Life of
America and the Christian Defense Coalition, protested against new
regulations governing health care plans, including those offered on the
health care exchanges.
Established under the Affordable Care Act, the health care exchanges
opened Oct. 1 and allow individuals to compare and purchase different
health care plans, even across state lines.
However, although the Obama administration had assured citizens during
deliberations over the health care law that the Affordable Care Act
would not fund abortions, some of the federally-funded exchange plans
include a mandatory monthly abortion surcharge.
This inclusion has been controversial and drawn criticism from pro-life
groups.
The U.S. bishops, although they had long advocated for health
care reform, ultimately declined to support the Affordable Care Act, due
to concerns over abortion funding and conscience rights.
Pro-life advocates have also criticized the exchanges for the lack of
information available to consumers about exactly which plans include the
abortion-funding charge.
Asked during an Oct. 30 hearing whether she could guarantee that
abortion funding would be clearly labeled in health care plans in which
it is included, Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius
replied, “I don’t know.”
Those at Thursday's protest demanded that Congress stop funding Planned
Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion vendor. They highlighted that
the organization will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in
taxpayer money when key parts of the Affordable Care Act go into effect
on Jan. 1, 2014.
In honor of the 915 preborn babies aborted by Planned Parenthood every
day, 915 pink crosses were placed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
before and after the demonstration.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who is co-chairman of the Bipartisan
Congressional Prolife Caucus, described Sebelius’ inability to answer
the question about abortion funding as “just not believable.”
“It is an outrage,” Smith said, “that at this stage Sebelius cannot, or
will not, tell consumers how to find out whether the plans they are
considering include abortions that painfully dismember or chemically
poison unborn children.”
“Why are they hiding?” he asked.
“Why are they hiding?” he asked.
“Any detailed review reveals that it is virtually impossible for
consumers looking at exchange plans to identify which, if any of the
Obamacare exchange plans on their state exchange include or exclude
abortion.”
Last month, Smith unveiled proposed legislation to require full
disclosure of abortion coverage for every plan offered on an exchange
under the new health care law.
“This is a Right to Know bill,” he said at the time of the bill’s
introduction. “Even the most ardent advocate of abortion should embrace
full disclosure.”
“Americans buying their insurance through the new healthcare exchanges
shouldn't have to spend hours trying to figure out if the money they pay
for premiums will be spent to provide abortions,” added Rep. Dan
Lipinski (D-Ill.).
“This bill will give the American people the transparency they need to
make informed decisions that are in line with their religious and moral
beliefs.”