Loading ...Republican health plan covered abortion
flockwoodRepublicans in the House of Representatives voted unanimously on Saturday to oppose allowing government-subsidized health care plans to cover most elective abortions.
But it turns out the Republican National Committee, the GOP’s major fund-raising arm, has been covering abortions under its health care plan since 1991.
GOP chairman ends abortion insurance for employees
By CHRISTINE SIMMONS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A chagrined GOP Chairman Michael Steele has told Republican National Committee staff to immediately stop providing RNC employees with insurance for elective abortions — an option that Republicans strongly oppose as Democrats try to pass a health care overhaul bill.
“Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose,” Steele said in a statement late Thursday after learning of the abortion coverage from a news report. “I don’t know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled.”
Steele instructed staff to inform the insurance carrier that the RNC wanted to opt out of elective abortion coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said. She said the policy has been in effect since 1991.
A memo earlier from RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay to the organization’s members said Steele was taking the matter very seriously and “has been engaged by phone on this issue.”
The GOP platform traditionally includes strong anti-abortion language. All House Republicans, except one, voted for an amendment imposing restrictions of coverage for abortions in the health care bill that passed the House last Saturday. Inclusion of the abortion restrictions prompted an angry backlash from liberal House Democrats, and some are now threatening to vote against a final bill if the curbs stay in.
The memo said the RNC received a phone call from a reporter on Wednesday asking whether the RNC’s health care policy, through Cigna, covered elective abortions for employees. On Thursday, Politico.com published a report citing two sales agents for Cigna who said the RNC’s policy covered elective abortion.
The Cigna employees said the RNC didn’t choose to opt out of abortion coverage when given the opportunity, Politico.com reported.
“Upon learning of this story, at the chairman’s direction, we immediately contacted the Executive Committee,” the RNC memo said. “We will be scheduling a call with the Executive Committee in the immediate future to discuss this matter more fully.”
The memo said the RNC health insurance policy has been in review for some time.
“Chairman Steele had already called for an official review of our health insurance policy along with a number of other operational items,” the memo said.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
It would be interesting to see if any of these supposedly anti-choice Republicans used that portion of the coverage.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Did no one read the fine print for 18 years? Makes you wonder how much research these people actually do before they make decisions.
November 13th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Which is worse, cheese? That they didn’t read the fine print, or that they knew exactly what kind of plan they had, and liked it?
November 15th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I still think the real question is whether anyone used that feature of the coverage. If someone did, then someone would have had to have approved the payment for the procedure, and if they did that, they could hardly suggest that they didn’t know the coverage was there. If no one used it, there’s at least an argument that no one knew the provision was there.
Of course, Jose has a point: Which is worse, knowing and doing nothing about it, or not knowing at all. The former would bolster my view that the Republican party holds on to its “pro-life” stance only to pander to right wing Christians. Prescott Bush, a Republican Senator from Connecticut in his day, and father and grandfather of Republican presidents, was one of the founders and original board members of Planned Parenthood, and neither Bush president ever truly stepped up to the plate on abortion. Ronald Reagan, who signed the bill legalizing abortion in California in 1967, didn’t convert until the political winds shifted the other way.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I don’t know why abortion is still a legal issue. The supreme court had their final ruling by saying “Liberty finds no justice in a jurisprudence of doubt.” The courts have also said there should no more deliberation [court proceedings] over the legality of abortion. Now, I disagree with abortion. But I just don’t understand why the media makes a big whoppin’ deal every time an abortion legalities come up.
November 19th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Is it me or is there a reason that “believing in hell” follows this story?