Joe Biden has proposed overturning a pro-life rule President Donald Trump issued that prohibited taxpayer funding in Obamacare, and Biden’s proposal will hide the abortion funding from Americans who don’t want their tax dollars used to fund ending the lives of unborn children.
Republican lawmakers are pushing back against the Biden administration’s plans to get rid of the rule that protects taxpayers from being forced to secretly fund abortions through Obamacare.
In letters to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, more than 100 federal lawmakers slammed the plan as unethical and illegal.
“The purpose and effect of the Proposed Rule, in tandem with partisan legislative efforts to expand the ACA, will be to increase taxpayer funding for abortion on demand to the financial benefit of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry,” 26 senators wrote in a letter led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, requires insurance companies that provide taxpayer-subsidized health plans under the law to collect separate premium payments for elective abortions.
In 2014, however, a Government Accountability Office report found that the requirement was not being followed. Later, the Trump administration issued a rule clarifying that insurance companies must send separate bills for abortion coverage so that taxpayers are not forced to fund it.
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Now, the Biden administration is trying to reverse this action by allowing abortion coverage to be hidden in with the monthly premium.
In their letter, the Republican senators said the rule would directly violate the clear text of the law.
“In construing ‘separate’ to mean ‘together,’ the Proposed Rule would illegally allow insurance companies to collect combined payments for elective abortion coverage, rather than separate payments as the law requires,” they continued. “The Proposed Rule also undermines consumer transparency and makes it harder for consumers to know whether their plan covers abortion, which may lead many to pay for abortions in violation of their consciences or religious beliefs.”
Separately, on Wednesday, 83 members of the U.S. House, led by Texas Congressman Michael Cloud, also sent a letter to the HHS secretary slamming the rule as a direct violation of the law.
“The Biden administration has the responsibility to enforce the law, … but this proposed rule breaks the law by permitting insurance companies to hide the abortion surcharge from consumers,” they told Becerra. “This policy is unethical as well as illegal; consumers deserve to know they are paying a surcharge for elective abortion.”
The rule, which was published July 1, is nearing the end of the 30-day public comment period.
Pro-life leaders also have been speaking out against the plan. Matt Bowman, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, urged the Biden administration to reverse course and respect the consciences of American taxpayers.
“The majority of Americans do not want their hard-earned dollars going to support the federal funding of abortions,” Bowman said. “That’s why the Affordable Care Act doesn’t allow abortion and healthcare to be paid for together. We strongly urge CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure to keep this billing distinction in place and comply with statutory prohibitions on federal funding for abortions, respect the will of the majority of Americans, and protect their right to transparency in their healthcare plans.”
Polls consistently show strong public opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions. In January, a Marist poll found 58 percent of Americans oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in the U.S. Additionally, 77 percent oppose using tax dollars to fund abortions in other countries.
A 2016 Harvard/Politico poll found that just 36 percent support taxpayer funding for elective abortions, while 58 percent oppose it.
