Posted on 03/04/2010 6:41:34 PM PST by Libloather
Pelosi Signals Openness To Senate Language On Abortion Coverage In Health Reform Bill
Article Date: 04 Mar 2010 - 5:00 PST
In a press conference Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signaled that House Democrats might be willing to accept the Senate's language on abortion coverage and health insurance for immigrants, Roll Call reports. The issues are among the many that have divided the House Democratic caucus, as leaders consider the use of budget reconciliation to help pass health reform through a two-part process. According to Roll Call, neither abortion nor immigration "can be addressed under a reconciliation bill because stringent rules governing such bills require provisions to have a direct budgetary impact" (Pierce/Bendery, Roll Call, 3/3). Pelosi said, "Neither of these issues is central to the bill," adding, "This is not an immigration bill. This is not an abortion bill. This is a bill that would provide more health care to all Americans." She continued, "In order to be part of the budget bill, it has to be central to the budget. ... It's a very strict rule" (Fabian, "Blog Briefing Room," The Hill, 3/2).
Under the two-part strategy, the House would first vote on the Senate's health reform bill (HR 3590) and then take up a separate reconciliation bill comprised largely of changes to the Senate health reform bill designed to appease wary House members. Passage of the legislation through the budget reconciliation process requires only a simple majority, effectively avoiding a filibuster (Roll Call, 3/3).
Bills Take Difference Approaches
The House bill (HR 3962) includes an amendment that would prohibit private health plans that receive federal subsidies from covering abortion services. Jessica Arons, director of the Women's Health and Rights Program at the Center for American Progress, said that the House bill would limit abortion coverage for women who currently have it under private insurance. "Anyone receiving a subsidy for their premium from the government would not be allowed to choose a plan that includes abortion, and that would apply to about 85% of people participating in the exchange," she said.
The Senate bill would allow federally subsidized private insurers to cover abortion services if customers wrote two separate checks each month -- one for abortion coverage and one for the bulk of their premiums. Arons said that some abortion-rights groups also object to this language. She said, "I think that some of the language is not just intended to wall off public money from paying for abortion services, it actually is intended to stigmatize abortion and treat it as something other than health care and discourage people from choosing health insurance plans that offer abortion coverage" (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 3/3).
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said, "It is not the intention of this bill to, as the speaker has said, to change the policy that has been in place for three decades." Hoyer was referring to the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion since the late 1970s ("Morning Edition," NPR, 3/3). In an appearance on MSNBC's "The Daily Rundown," Senate Budget Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D-S.D.) also said that abortion "would probably not be permitted" in the budget reconciliation bill because "anything that doesn't score for budget purposes or anything for which the score is only incidental to the policy change are subject to automatic strike under" budget reconciliation rules (Todd, "The Daily Rundown," MSNBC, 3/2).
If abortion coverage cannot be addressed through a budget reconciliation bill, antiabortion-rights House Democrats who originally voted for the House bill would face the choice of voting for the Senate bill or voting against health reform entirely, "Morning Edition" reports ("Morning Edition," NPR, 3/3). Democratic leaders expect that some antiabortion-rights House Democrats will threaten to vote against the Senate bill because they believe its abortion restrictions do not go far enough, according to the Wall Street Journal. Rep. Bart Stupak -- who proposed the House abortion amendment -- said he would not vote for the Senate bill for reasons beyond the abortion language, such as insurance industry regulations (Hitt et al., Wall Street Journal, 3/3). Defections in the House Democratic caucus could make it difficult for the chamber to pass the bill ("Morning Edition," NPR, 3/3).
I now know more about Stupak than Hussein.
lol.
No.. its not in their... she is open to it but its not in there. lol.
That's exactly what I was wondering about. How can she be open to changing language about eliminating abortion if she was honest about it not being covered. The fact is, Pelosi is a rabid liar, and given that, why should anyone trust her in regard to any deals? Deal with the devil and you'll lose your soul.
“In a press conference Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signaled that House Democrats might be willing to accept the Senate’s language on abortion coverage and health insurance for immigrants, Roll Call reports”.
I thought she said their is no abortion coverage in the Senate bill.. ?
Hmmmm Nancy ?
Good grief.
Rachel Maddow... poor soul.
Isn’t it wonderful they will accept what the American people will not?
Coverage for immigrants and abortion.
The idea that she contacted the USCB to defend her pro-abortion position is beyond ludicrous. Desperate days for Nancy.
This has nothing to do with what the American people want, it is all about power and lack of fear of the voters because they know too many will blindly vote for the incumbents...
The SheMale is an ideological enforcer of Marxist purity. Not much of a big tent with these totalitarians.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS = what has really caused the financial collapse of our country.
And the collapse of our healthcare system.
Now the problem will be purple dogs?
Unless Jesus buys it back
Openness?
You also lie, pelosie! You’ll say whatever necessary
to get what you and your ilk want.
Help me out...what are purple dogs?
Of course not...the problem is always the "obstructionist republicans"...oh, and Bush's fault.
The fact that the democrats don't realize they've become the punchline to a national joke is funny in itself!
they don’t know whether to be red or blue
The senate bill is actually less restrictive than the current hyde amendment.
Pelosi keeps lying about it and acting like there are abortion restrictions in the bill, and then she gets all “conciliatory” as if she is accepting some sort of “compromise”.
Dont trust that Gorgon Whore.
Why should she care? Lesbians like Madcow don’t have to worry about pregnancy, do they? Besides, the only thing open about Piglosi is her mouth.
...I gotta think a bit before I ask. Thanks.
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