Media Run 'Fact Checks' On Abortion Coverage In Health Reform Bills

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 17 Aug 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The issue of how abortion services will be covered, if at all, in health care reform legislation continues to be controversial as members of Congress host town-hall meetings across the U.S. Two media sources recently ran "fact checks" on abortion coverage in health reform legislation. Summaries appear below.

~ Denver Post: The "claim" by some opponents of health reform that the House Energy and Commerce Committee's bill (HR 3200) "would allow government-funded abortions" is "false," the Post reports. The current version of the bill "does not override the Hyde Amendment," which currently prevents the use of federal Medicaid funds for abortion services except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life. The committee "reached a compromise on the issue" in July when it passed an amendment introduced by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) that "would allow insurance plans -- private or government -- to cover abortions," though the services "must be paid for with beneficiary premiums rather than federal dollars." The Post reports that the "changing nature" of reform bills and the "divisiveness of the issue" indicate that it "probably will remain a highly contested point throughout the process" (Osborne, Denver Post, 8/13).

~ ABC News: Coverage for abortion services in health reform legislation is "[a]mong the most hotly discussed issues" in the debate, ABC News reports. Timothy Johnson, chief medical editor for the network, said, "None of (the bills) say abortions should or could be paid for with tax dollars," adding that "if you look at the language, it gets complicated. It's not crystal clear whether or not that could happen with a so-called 'public option,' and even with private plans that might be subsidized by the government, maybe abortion would be allowed." However, Johnson notes that the Capps amendment in the House Energy and Commerce bill prohibits federal money from covering abortion services, thereby precluding such an outcome (Childs, ABC News, 8/13). ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson" on Thursday also aired a segment that discussed the issue of covering abortion services. The segment can be viewed online (Gibson, "World News with Charles Gibson," ABC News, 8/13).

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