SB 1313 -- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) Exchanges Board bill will be heard in the House Insurance Committee this afternoon as the second week of the Illinois Veto Session begins [Tuesday through Thursday]. It will set up the Health Exchanges board and its powers for Illinois and ObamaCare.
We are trying to convince legislators that now is the time to put an "abortion opt-out" provision that will prohibit exchanges from allowing any insurance plans to cover abortion. I will testify on this in committee this afternoon.
PLEASE VOTE "NO" ON SB 1313 AS AMENDED (MAUTINO) THE ILLINOS HEALTH BENEFITS EXCHANGE BOARD FOR THE FEDERAL PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE) WITHOUT A PROVISION THAT OPTS-OUT ILLINOIS FROM ABORTION COVERAGE
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
(1) "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148), federal tax dollars, via affordability credits (subsidies provided to individuals between 150-400% of the federal poverty level), are routed to Exchange participating health insurance plans, including plans that provide coverage for abortions.
(2) Federal funding of insurance plans that provide abortions is an unprecedented change in federal abortion funding policy. The Hyde Amendment, as passed each year in the Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) prohibit federal funds from subsidizing health plans that provide abortion. Under this new law, however, Exchange participating health plans that provide abortions can receive federal funds.
(3) The provision of federal funding for health plans that provide abortion coverage is nothing short of taxpayer funded and government endorsed abortion.
(4) However, P.L. 111-148 allows a state to "opt out" of permitting insurance plans that cover abortions to participate in the Exchanges within that state, and thereby prohibit taxpayer money from subsidizing plans that cover abortions within that state.
(5) It is the long-standing policy of the State of Illinois through several statutes of Illinois Compiled Statutes that abortions are not to be funded with state taxpayer dollars under Medicaid and state employees insurance policies.
(6) The decision not to fund abortion places no governmental obstacle in the path of a woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy. Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173, 201 (1991).
(7) Moreover, it is permissible for a State to engage in unequal subsidization of abortion and other medical services to encourage alternative activity deemed in the public interest. Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173, 198 (1991).
(8) Citizens of the State of Illinois, like other Americans, oppose the use of public funds – both federal and state – to pay for abortions. For example, a January 2010 Quinnipiac poll showed that 7 in 10 Americans were opposed to provisions in federal health care reform that use federal funds to pay for abortions and abortion coverage.
(9) The Guttmacher Institute which advocates for unfettered and taxpayer-funded access to abortion confirms that, based on Medicaid studies, more women have abortions when it is covered by private or public insurance programs.
Thus, the following amendment should be adopted to SB 313 to affirmatively opt out of allowing qualified health plans that cover abortions to participate in Exchanges within the State of Illinois:
(a) No abortion coverage may be provided by a qualified health plan offered through an Exchange created pursuant to PL 111-148 within the State of Illinois.
(b) This limitation shall not apply to an abortion performed when the life of the mother is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE ABORTION OPT-OUT AMENDMENT TO SB 1313 AND VOTE "NO" ON SB 1313 UNTIL THIS AMENDMENT IS ADDED TO THE BILL.
Source: Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Illinois Citizens for Life,
Contact: Dawn Behnke, Ralph Rivera
