Will abortion kill health care reform?

11/12/09

I sure hope not!  Yes – some members of the Family (see other article on why these guys screw up everything) managed to insert an anti-abortion amendment into the house bill.  Yes, it will effectively prevent women getting their insurance through the exchange from getting health insurance that covers abortions except in cases on incest, rape or if the woman’s life is at risk.  No – this is not a big deal. And here’s why.

At the moment, private insurance and Medicaid only cover abortion in cases on incest, rape or if the woman’s life is at risk. In other words, this amendment changes nothing!

According to the Guttmacher Institute only 26% of abortions are paid for via insurance (either Medicaid or private insurance) The remaining 74% of abortions are paid for directly by the woman. This isn’t because people getting abortions can’t afford insurance; it is because insurance doesn’t cover the cost of a “routine” abortion.  In other words they don’t cover abortions for reasons other then health, rape or incest. 

So again – this amendment changes NOTHING!

There are concerns that this will affect the currently uninsured that are going to get insurance through the exchange.  But this is again, not really true. These women already have to pay for abortions themselves.  So, getting insurance that would pay for ¼ of their abortions is actually an improvement to their current situation. It isn’t ideal, but it certainly does not represent a step backward.

Look – I am all for abortion rights and for increasing women’s access to safe and legal abortions. But we need health care reform!  And if we decide to torpedo reform because the bill includes a provision that sounds horrible but in reality doesn’t change one darned thing, then we are stupid.  Really really stupid.

And if you are really concerned about this issue – get educated about the Family and read that darned book because every single Congressman and Senator involved in pushing for this amendment are members of the Family!  And yes – they screw up everything.  But in this case, we have more important things to focus on and the insertion of this amendment doesn’t change anything.  Really. It doesn’t. I am going to be seriously pissed if the left sabotages health care reform over this.