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Burn of the Day
42 minutes ago
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Deal Breaker...
If the folks at FactCheck.org (a non-partisan research outfit affiliated with the Annenberg Public Policy Center) are right, then Catholics need to step up. Via the blog of Catholic radio host Al Kresta, I learn that the folks at FC have published their findings regarding the abortion question, here.
Remember what Michael Sean Winters said at the start of the season, and has been repeating regularly, most recently here?
Now, the NRLC fellow quoted in the FactCheck analysis probably overstates things when he says that the House leadership version mandates abortion coverage. The quoted language is not that of a mandate. Nevertheless, with the POTUS's views of the matter widely known, and Kathleen Sebelius in charge at HHS, it were imprudence approaching folly to think that the federal plan would not include abortion.
If the POTUS claims that, stricte sensu, the law neither mandates nor allows federal funding for abortions (the HHS regulations implementing the legislation would do that), he cannot claim that the federal subsidies for private plans would not.
Remember, the issue is not whether the proposed reform package would mandate federal funding for abortions. The issue is whether the proposal contains provisions for federal funding of abortions.
This blogger believes that the proposal, as it stands, does contain the practical equivalent of a mandate, though an explanation as to why will have to wait. It is nearly 5AM and I must be about business.
LD
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I totally agree. You see this is what people are missing. Obama knows that is it is lkely that this could push a lot of private insuracne out of the market. That is why he can't take abortion off the table and make it explicit. Planeed Parenthood that has their mutlibillion dollar abortion business would go ballastic
Dear James,
I am not sure I follow the connection between Planned Parenthood and pushing the private insurers out of the market (unless you are talking about the 5-year window private insurers would have to meet the gov't minimum requirements under the HHS rules).
I am very concerned that, quite apart from any consideration of intention, employers especially will flock to the 'public option' in an attempt to cut costs.
This would force private carriers either to close or drastically downsize before they are able to roll out packages to compete with the public one.
The "learning curve" strikes me as inevitably too steep.
Best,
LD
"I am not sure I follow the connection between Planned Parenthood and pushing the private insurers out of the market (unless you are talking about the 5-year window private insurers would have to meet the gov't minimum requirements under the HHS rules)."
Many Private insuracne plans cover abortion. I think the affect of the public option will be to push a lot of people off private insurance into the public plan. Planned Parenthodd that has a multibillion dollar abortion business loses money.
I think that is one reason Obama is being so stubborn on this. His allies can't have that possibility and they might retaliate against him
Dear James,
If I follow you, you are suggesting that the Obama administration is adamant about seeing abortion included coverage in the "public option" because he is in the pocket of the abortion providers, who would lose in the event the federal plan should fail to cover the procedure.
Right?
Best,
LD
p.s.
forgive me if I plod - I want to get it right.
Yes that is correct
I mean in my view this shows that Obama knows where this is leading. He had about 20 House Democrats that will vote no unless abortion is left out. He also has problems in the Senate. Obama can get at leatss half these votes if he goes abortion is off the table.
But he cannot. I mean Planned Parenthood makes a ton of bucks off their abortion clinics. And yes that is paid throught private insurance and employee plans. Planend Parenthood knows that a lot of companies will go just got to the GOVT plan,. Thus this Abortion money making enterprise loses tons of money if abortion is probited on a Govt funded plan
That is why I say that the abortion issue in the health care plan is telling us a lot more than people think. If Obama did not think his plan would not hurt private insurance comapnaies he would be going lets prohibit aborton. But his supporterss that give him countless millions in contributions know what is not so. Thus he cannot compromise on this issue. They see what is really going on
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