Health Reform's New Frontline: Abortion

(NEWSER) - Anti-abortion groups are launching a full-scale assault on health reform plans, contending that current proposals include an “abortion mandate” and would spend taxpayer money on the procedure, Politico reports. The first claim is based on a plan to federally mandate a basic set of procedures insurers must offer. Abortion isn’t considered likely to end up in that package, but foes want it explicitly excluded. More»

Obama will issue executive order reiterating Hyde Amendment

(NEWSER) - President Obama will sign an executive order forbidding the use of federal funding for abortion, and Bart Stupak and his anti-abortion allies will vote to pass health care reform, the Michigan Democrat announced this afternoon. The shift means the measure is almost certain to pass when it's voted on tonight. Stupak insisted that he supported reform, but "there was a principle that meant more to use than anything, and that was the sanctity of life," reports Talking Points Memo . More»

Public option weaker than House's, abortion restriction less severe

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid rolled out the Senate’s combined health care reform bill last night, earning oohs and ahhs from fellow Democrats, particularly over the price tag, and setting the stage for a cloture vote Saturday. The bill would cost a svelte $849 billion over 10 years while reducing the deficit by $127 billion—the biggest reduction of any bill to date. Here’s the nitty gritty:

• The bill would set up health insurance exchanges for the uninsured, including a national public option, which states could opt out of.

Only 13% of abortions are billed to private insurers

(NEWSER) - The Stupak-Pitts amendment clamping down on abortion funding by insurers isn’t the game changer it's been made out to be: It would affect only a tiny minority of women. Though 50% of privately insured women have plans that include abortion coverage, many, perhaps most, don't use it because of privacy concerns, notes Stephanie Simon in the Wall Street Journal . Just 13% of abortions are billed to private insurance plans, according to a 2001 study. More»

A Steele spokesman says it's going to be changed

(NEWSER) - With abortion emerging as a sticking point in the health care debate, Politico has dug up a zinger on the Republican National Committee: Its own employee insurance policy covers elective abortions. "We are taking steps to address the issue," says an RNC spokeswoman, adding that the policy goes back to 1991. More»