The Public Option Trap [ by James Linkin] [News You Can Abuse]
September 29, 2009If you are an advocate of legal abortion, then now would be a good time to give up on the idea of a “public option”. For real. Why?
There is long-standing ban on Federal funds being used for elective abortions. 30 years. None of the health insurance plans available to Federal employees cover abortion for that reason. It’s not going away soon. Now, there’s a looming battle in both houses of Congress to see to it that no Federal healthcare subsidies are used even implicitly to fund abortion. This would mean that since no plan that receives Federal subsidies can offer abortion, and since all plans would receive those subsidies, all plans would drop abortion coverage, and everyone who has it now would lose it.
Worse, in the so-called public option, abortion coverage would have no chance.
This battle over abortion is probably make-or-break for national healthcare. If the legislation defunds abortion, even Republicans would have to vote for it. But there’s a loophole.
All the bills allow for a rider that would allow ratepayers to purchase a rider that covers abortion. Well, if that rider is priced in line with the actuarial benefit, the cost is zero. Why? Because abortions, even multiple abortions, are a fraction of the cost of maternity care.
So write your Rep and Senator, and tell them that’s what you want. To hell with the public option. Tell the insurance companies they have to provide an abortion rider, and can’t charge more for it than the NET cost of the benefit. I want Federal regulation, like the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan, and I want access to legal abortions.
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