"Offensive" Amendment in Health Care Bill Restricting Abortion Coverage Fails

I also find it offensive. I have always thought that abortions were not something a female planned on having. IMO abortions should be allowed for rape, incest and for dangerous pregnancies with put the mother and/or child in jeopardy that being the case I was not want to have buy insurance ...just in-case. Of course I maybe just be too old fashioned in that respect.

Well, the proposed amendment was voted down, so there's not a lot of point in debating it. But there are a few points that you might want to consider. If all insurance companies are forced to join the exchange, and the exchange commission determines what those insurance companies must cover and to what extent, there is the possibility of nearly anything being included or excluded. There are no guarantees that there will be no government funding or subsidy just as there is no guarantee that the coverage you have now will be offered once the health exchange commission makes its regulations on policies. When I chose my health insurance policy through my employer years ago, I decided on the one that cost a little more but had excellent maternity coverage. This was not because I was planning to have a baby, in fact, I had no plans to become pregnant - but I was married and well, these things do happen and I did not want to have insufficient coverage that would leave me with large co-payments or percentages of hospital charges. Is it "offensive" to tell a woman that she should choose to pay for maternity coverage if she may end up pregnant and want to have the baby? Yet, women make this choice all the time when they choose between health insurance policies. If a woman is sexually active, she must also acknowledge the possibility of pregnancy. I would suggest that there are sexually active women who know they don't want to be pregnant and if they were to become pregnant, know that they would choose to end that pregnancy. Just as knowing you would need to have maternity coverage because you know you would have the unplanned child, you should also know that you would need to have abortion coverage if you know that you would not have that unplanned child. I don't see that as being so far-fetched. If there is no amendment that regulates abortion coverage in any way, the health exchange commission is free to demand that abortion be covered. I don't believe it is beyond the realm of possibility that in some way, there could be federal subsidies to offset additional expenses incurred. The goal is to lower your premiums, after all, isn't it? If the government demands that the insurance company offer you more coverage for more conditions, it is unlikely they can also demand that you be charged much less for so much more. What the government demands, it often ends up subsidizing.

I'm not going to use the word "offensive", but the way it's written, it's just a stupid amendment. They need a better way to make this work.

I have many friends who have had abortions and I still love them. I don't agree with it but I'm not in their shoes and I'm not paying for it. I didn't go with them and only found out about it after the deed was done. I support my friends to a certain extent. I've also heard of women who get abortions because they wanted a boy and found out they were having another girl. I'm not having my tax dollars going to that kind of crap. I buy home owners insurance in case I need it. It's in my mortgage agreement and included in my house payment. I'mforced to buy auto insurance whether I will ever use it or not. Now I don't care what they do with this bill but I don't think the government should be paying for the murder of unborn babies. And if a woman does purchase seperate insurance just for abortions who is going to know about it? I don't know what kind of insurance you or anyone else has.

Something that popped into my little head while reading this was the issue of those pregnant teens. Would there be no such thing as a family policy that covered everyone or do you enroll every child individually when he/she is born? Do you get the separate abortion coverage when a baby girl is born or can you wait until she reaches puberty? Will you get a refund if she makes it to 18 without getting knocked up? Hatch just boggles the mind.....

umm....maybe I am wrong, but when I lived in NY, medicaid did not pay for abortions, unless maybe there was a medical need for one, like danger to the mother or something like that. I kind of think that most insurance plans won't pay for it either, unless of course, it's medically necessary maybe. I don't think mine does, I don't think mine will pay for any type of birth control really. unless there's a good medical need for it.

There should be no Federal Money spent on Abortion just like there should be no Federal Money spent on Hair Transplants for men, knee replacement, hip replacements or other medical procedures EXCEPT for those serving or having served in the Military. Health Care is not a Federal Issue. No where in the Constitution does it give the Federal Government the authority to spend money on such things. If people want those things covered in an insurance policy then let them buy such a policy, just like I can choose to purchase collision insurance to protect my self. If I do not want to pay for abortions then I can find an insurance company that does not pay for abortions and buy my insurance from them.

I am technically pro-choice (shocking huh?) but I don't think the federal government should be paying for abortions. HOWEVER, I DO see what you are saying as to how this proposal is problematic. I was not aware of that wording. Hell, most pregnancies that result in CHILDBIRTH are unplanned, both of mine were! (Surprises, not accidents)LOL I live in NY State, there is no need for federal funding of abortions here because the STATE already pays for them under medicaid (but they don't like to pay for birth control unless it is the pill or the shot which can have horrible side effects). I have a problem with the federal government being involved in the issue at all, pro or anti but for reasons which are long and boring and entirely my own which would both bore and enrage people on all sides of the issue if I tried to explain why. I was not aware until your discussion that the wording of that amendment involved requiring people to decide in advance that they want abortion coverage. See? I learned something at mylot today, and from a LIBERAL! LOL (goes to sharpen skates and find mittens cuz it's still snowing in hell)