ACTION ALERT
Support No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and the Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Acts On September 15, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report revealing that over a thousand health care plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cover elective abortions and that many health plans do not inform enrollees about the inclusion and cost of abortion coverage. These problems flow directly from defects in the ACA. On January 28, the House joined together two measures that would correct these problems and passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act (H.R. 7). The Senate must act. Either take up and pass H.R. 7, or pass the separate bills, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (S. 946) and the Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act (S. 1848). On November 12, the Senate will return after the elections for a lame-duck session. TAKE ACTION NOW!
- Contact your Senators by phone or email. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Senators’ local office. Contact information for Senators Udall & Bennet can be found below.
SUGGESTED MESSAGE: “Please co-sponsor and support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, S. 946, and the Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, S. 1848. Our tax dollars should not be used to fund or promote abortion, and, at a minimum, abortion coverage in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act should be fully disclosed to enrollees.”
WHEN: After the elections, the Senate will be in session starting November 12. Contact your Senators today!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION In response to the GAO Report, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, chairman of the U.S. bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged: “Bring the Affordable Care Act into compliance with the Hyde Amendment and every other federal law on abortion funding, by excluding elective abortions from health plans subsidized with federal funds. At a minimum, Congress should not delay in enacting a law to require full disclosure of abortion coverage and abortion premiums to Americans purchasing health plans.” The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act would place in permanent law a consistent policy that the federal government should not use tax dollars to support or promote elective abortion. Since 1976 this principle has been embodied in the Hyde amendment and similar provisions in the annual appropriations bills. That longstanding policy should be applied to the ACA. At a minimum, the Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act would ensure that enrollees are fully informed about abortion coverage and abortion premiums in the ACA’s health care plans.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
SENATOR UDALL Phone: 202-224-5941 Fax: 202-224-6471 Coloradans, call toll-free: 877-7-MUDALL (877-768-3255) E-mail: http://www.markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact_us
SENATOR BENNET Phone: (303) 455-7600 Fax: (202) 228-5097 Toll Free: (866) 455-9866 E-mail: http://www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/email