Planned Parenthood | Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

November 10, 2009 3:24:43

 

 

by Karina
Web Editor
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund

A health care reform bill has finally passed through the house by a narrow margin. Unfortunately, the house bill contains an amendment, the Stupak/Pitts amendment, that is antithetical to health care reform’s major goal—to improve access to health care.  The Stupak/Pitts amendment would actually remove coverage for women, restricting their ability purchase even PRIVATE plans that include coverage for abortion. Planned Parenthood MN, ND, SD’s CEO, Sarah Stoesz sums up the implications:

“The Stupak/Pitts amendment violates the spirit of health care reform, which is meant to guarantee quality, affordable health care coverage for all. In fact, this amendment would create a two-tiered system that would punish women, particularly those with low and middle incomes, the very people this bill is intended to assist. The majority of private health insurance plans currently offer abortion coverage, and the Stupak/Pitts amendment would result in the elimination of private abortion coverage in the ‘exchange,’ the new insurance market created under health care reform, as well as in the public option, if one is created.

The Stupak/Pitts amendment is nothing more than an attempt by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and anti-choicers to hijack health care reform.  Most of the House members who voted in favor of Stupak/Pitts also voted AGAINST the entire health care package. “These single-issue advocates simply used health care reform to advance their extreme, ideological agenda at the expense of tens of millions of women,” Stoesz said.

So the next question is—- will this language make it into the final bill? That all depends on if the Senate is willing to stand up for women’s health.

A recent article MinnPost indicates that Amy and Al are opposed to the House bill’s language on abortion.

Amy’s take on the issue:

On Monday, Klobuchar said that she favored the Senate approach to the new House language.

"I prefer the Senate version because we basically were careful that we were not going to restrict that type of coverage — that an individual using their private money would be able to buy [a plan that includes abortion coverage]," said Klobuchar. "I think that was the right way to go. Hopefully we will be able to prevail."

And here are Al’s thoughts:

"I am not happy with it [the Stupak Amendment]," Franken said. "I mean it basically says that a woman cannot buy a policy on the exchange that covers abortion… even with [her] own money, and I think that that is not right and we will try to change it."

Thankfully in Minnesota we have two Senators who are willing to work to make sure health care reform takes us forward. Let’s hope they can influence the rest of the Senate to work toward that same goal.

Trackback: http://www.plannedparenthoodadvocate.org/trackback/706/qEqWaH6D/