Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Obama category.
Abortion Coverage: House Versus Senate Bill
What are the differences between abortion coverage in the House versus the Senate bill?
-The House has 25 mentions of abortion versus the Senate’s 21.
-The Senate Bill mandates federally funded abortion coverage, where the House Bill passed the Stupak Amendment, which bans federally subsidized coverage that could ultimately lead to denying abortion coverage in private plans.
-According to Andrea Simoncic of the Examiner, “the Senate bill simply provides abortion funding in a much more direct and honest manner” than the House Bill. Tax dollars will be mandated for abortion coverage in the Senate Bill.
Regardless of which bill passes in the House or the Senate, there have been rumors that President Obama does not support Stupak and could intervene in the final legislation. However, Stupak told Fox News that “They’re not going to take it out. If they do, health care will not move forward.”
Wow. Really? It’s not possible for national health coverage to pass if it includes abortion coverage? I thought we lived in a modern society. But we also live in a society where women pay 48 percent more for health insurance than men. Pregnancy and reproductive health coverage can be denied in insurance plans due to a “pre-existing condition.”
There is a lot of room for reform in the American health care system, but I am willing to wait for nationalizing health care if it does not include reproductive health coverage. If we have waited this long, why not wait a little longer and get it right?
Anti-Stupak Advocators
With a Saturday session of the Senate, a vote on the health care bill is planned for 8 p.m. tonight. Will Stupak pass? If so, this will be a step backwards on health care reform.
Planned Parenthood is leading the anti-Stupak movement with their “Pass Health Care Reform! Stop Stupak!” campaign. Supporters are encouraged to sign an online petition addressed to President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and Speaker Pelosi. The message states: “Women must be able to purchase private or public health insurance that offers comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care.”
Female reproductive health coverage should not be banned from private and public insurance plans. This will affect millions of women who already have abortion coverage.
The Students Stop Stupak blog, created by Harvard student activists was created to “ensure that the Stupak amendment doesn’t end up in the final health care bill” and “mobilize college students at Harvard and beyond to start a movement advocating for women’s health care, reproductive rights, etc.”
I commend these students for organizing this group. Our generation is always criticized for not caring. Well, stopping Stupak is an issue that everyone should care about. We cannot allow the status quo to change on abortion coverage.
A good line on the Students Stop Stupak blog is “women’s health care is health care.” Women’s health care coverage in a government plan is just as important, even if that includes abortion. Reproductive health services are a natural health care need to women. Women should not be denied sufficient coverage because of the power of the Catholic Bishops in the House.
Anti-Stupak activism is critical. Please sign the Planned Parenthood petition and visit the Students Stop Stupak website to show your support or follow them on twitter.
Health Bill Passes, No Pass for Abortion Coverage
The overall health care reform bill passed 220-to-215, but the restrictive language on abortion coverage in the Stupak Amendment also passed with a 240-to-194 vote with the support of the anti-choice Democrats and the Catholic Bishops.
The Stupak Amendment establishes a ban on government subsidies to pay for “any part of a policy that includes abortion coverage.” This means that tax credits given to lower income families cannot be used towards abortion services in any circumstance. Newly insured women will not be offered insurance plans that cover abortion. Those women with insurance that covers abortion could lose that coverage if employers chose to use the government plan.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. states, “the truth is that even with the Stupak restrictions, health care reform would leave millions of Americans far better off than they are now – including millions of women.” Yes, this is true, but we should not be moving backwards on reproductive service coverage.
Obama somewhat agrees. The President does not want to change the “status quo” on abortion, but he also does not support the use of federal money for abortions. Therefore, there should be no increase of abortion coverage in insurance, but the Stupak Amendment would alter the status quo on abortion coverage and should be revised by Congress.
I hope the final vote on Stupak in the Senate does not pass. With the strong support from anti-choice Democrats, some Republicans, and the Bishops it will be a close call.
Female health is not a priority. It has always been prohibiting reproductive services that gets the most attention. The recent W.H.O. study reports that the majority of women in developing countries do not have sufficient health care coverage. Although the status of women’s health in the U.S. has improved in the last century, reform is still necessary especially in reproductive coverage.
Does Republican Senator Snowe’s Vote Count?
Senator of Maine Olympia Snowe has recently received frantic press attention because she is the only Republican in the house that voted for Obama’s health care reform bill. According to Reuters, the vote on Tuesday in the Senate Finance Committee was 14-9 in favor of Obama’s plan.
Snowe is a moderate Republican, who has been known to go against the party majority. She also voted for Obama’s economic stimulus bill. This reputation has led some Republicans to question her allegiance to the party, but her views reflect more on local politics and what will benefit the residents of Maine, where there are not many large companies that provide health insurance to employees.
The New York Times gives a variety of opinions on the importance of Snowe’s vote. Some say that Democrats would be able to pass the bill without Republican support and that the vote right now is not final because health reform will be adjusted in the future. Senator and chairmen of the Senate health committee, Tom Harkin, was not too concerned in getting Snowe’s vote, but more concerned about “getting it done right.”
Snowe has been a frequent blog topic across all political views in the blogosphere.
But what are her views on abortion?
Reuters reported that Snowe is disliked by conservative Republicans for her support of legalizing abortion. Recently The New York Times reported that Snowe rejected abortion restrictions, but in the Baucus Bill there will be no use of federal money towards reproductive services. Private insurance companies that choose to cover abortion can continue to do so.
“We want to preserve the status quo on abortion,” said Snowe. So Snowe supports women’s legal right to abortion, but she also does not support a government plan that provides abortion coverage. What about women who cannot afford private insurance for reproductive services?
There is a fear among women’s pro-choice advocates that private insurance companies will drop abortion coverage altogether to save costs in the competitive market that will have a less expensive government plan.
Medi-Gal 