Baucus Bill Contains Abortion Funding/Mandates and Rations Care

It seems that each new health care reform bill is worse than the previous one.  Enter the long-awaited Baucus bill.  According to Douglas Johnson of National Right to Life:

“The ‘America’s Healthy Future Act’ proposed by Senator Max Baucus contains an array of pro-abortion mandates and federal subsidies for elective abortion. ”

Provisions in the bill would send massive federal subsidies directly to both private insurance plans and government-chartered cooperatives that pay for elective abortion.  This is certainly a departure from current law which prohibits any of the insurance plans available to federal employees from paying for elective abortions.  The Baucus bill also requires that those who receive subsidized premiums pay at least “$1 per enrollee, per month” as a surcharge to pay for elective abortions.   This is the Capps amendment (added to H.R. 3200 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee) revisited.  According to Johnson, it is “a political hoax” to pretend that funds spent by a federal agency from the federal Treasury for abortion are no longer federal funds.

So, what happens now to President Obama’s September 9 claim that “no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions?”  The lack of sincerity in that claim is evidenced by the lack of outcry from Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups.  If they thought he meant it, they would be screaming.

The Baucus bill is also detrimental to older people and those with disabilities.  According to David O’Steen of National Right to Life, “…the proposal contains a Medicare provision that, beginning in 2015, would severely financially penalize physicians who are in the top 10% of medical resource use.  This provision does not link funding to outcomes or quality; instead, it will force a ‘race to the bottom’ with relentless pressure on doctors to limit health care for their older patients.  On top of the significant Medicare cuts in the bill, this will gravely endanger the lives of America’s senior citizens.”

Baucus was standing alone when he introduced his bill — a fitting symbol to a bill that needs to be buried as soon as possible.

Barbara Lyons