HHS Restrictions On Abortion Coverage In High-Risk Pools Elicit Criticism

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 19 Jul 2010 - 5:00 PDT


Some abortion-rights groups are criticizing HHS' recent announcement that state high-risk insurance pools generally will not include coverage for elective abortions, CQ HealthBeat reports. The insurance pools -- created under the federal health reform law (PL 111-148) -- are intended to provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 7/15).

According to an HHS statement released Wednesday, abortion will be covered under the pre-existing condition insurance plans only in cases of rape, incest or to save the woman's life. The statement was issued in response to claims by opponents of abortion rights -- including the National Right to Life Committee, the Family Research Council and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) -- that some states plan to allow coverage of abortions in the pools (Women's Health Policy Report, 7/15).

National Women's Law Center Co-President Marcia Greenberger is calling on HHS to reconsider its decision because women enrolled in the pools would be using private funds to obtain abortion coverage. "This decision will prevent women with serious pre-existing medical conditions from getting the abortion coverage they need to protect their health, even when they pay for such coverage themselves," she said (CQ HealthBeat, 7/15).

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement Thursday that the group is "deeply disappointed that the [Obama] administration has voluntarily and unnecessarily decided to impose limits on private funds used to purchase insurance coverage for abortion care in the new high-risk insurance pools." She added that the decision is "truly harmful" to the women enrolled in the pools, who are "likely to be more vulnerable to medically complicated pregnancies," and thus more likely to need an abortion. Richards also said that HHS' decision "has no basis in the law and flies in the face of the intent of the high-risk pools that were meant to meet the medical needs of some of the most vulnerable women in this country" (Pecquet, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 7/15).

Antiabortion-Rights Advocates Have Mixed Reaction to HHS Statement
Many antiabortion-rights advocates, including Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports antiabortion-rights candidates, continue to make an issue about abortion coverage in the high-risk pools. Dannenfelser said, "If there was any doubt that the health care reform bill included taxpayer-funded abortions, those doubts are now laid to rest."

However, according to Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), antiabortion-rights advocates' claim that abortion would be covered in the high-risk pools is "the latest example of some right-to-life groups politicizing life issues in an effort to undermine health care reform." He said the health reform law prohibits federal funding for abortion services. During the reform debate, Stupak led a group of antiabortion-rights House Democrats in opposing the measure until he received assurances that it would not allow federal funds to be used for abortion (CQ HealthBeat, 7/15).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

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