Senate health bill would mandate abortion coverage
By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
July 9, 2009
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| Abortion opponents pray during a memorial for abortion deaths at Operation Rescue's headquarters Saturday, June 20, 2009, (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) |
Republicans say they are outraged by a provision added to a Senate health care reform bill that would require insurance companies to pay for abortion services.
The amendment was added during the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee meeting on Thursday as the panel drafts a bill authored by Sen. Edward Kennedy that would expand health insurance to millions and create a public health insurance option.
The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., would require health insurance companies "to contract with organizations like Planned Parenthood," according to a spokesman for the top Republican on the panel.
According to the amendment language, insurers would have to cover "essential community providers...that serve predominantly low-income, medically under-served individuals" such as Planned Parenthood.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, attempted to add language that would have blocked abortions from coverage, but Mikulski objected.
The amendment passed 12-11, with every Republican and one Democrat, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., voting against it.
Mikulski insisted that the bill "doesn't expand nor mandate an abortion service."
Hatch responded, "No, but it would provide for it."
Mikulski answered, "It would provide for any service deemed medically necessary or medically appropriate."
Mikulski also suggested that the amendment could be "sharpened" in the future to address the concerns of Hatch and Casey.
"The way it is written is too broad," Casey said. "The way it is written could be interpreted down the road to include something like abortion."
