http://www.ushcp.dianewalsh-is-ageode.biz - text reference, hyperlinks.

According to an Associated Press (AP) article, "Questions over abortion in new federal health plan" originally published on July 14, 2010, the Obama administration is poised to agree to ban abortion services in a new, temporary program, i.e. for those women, deemed to fall into high-risk pools. What does this mean exactly? It means that women with big-ticket health problems such as cancer, HIV or diabetes and thus, categorized in, high-risk pools will not be able to access abortion care from their plans whether or not their health is to be further at risk.

Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, explains that President Obama’s administration announcement means that “it will exclude abortion coverage in the temporary health-insurance pools that will transition us into the new health-care system.” This policy will be place for approximately three years. Outraged, Keenan, herself, has contacted the White House believing this new policy to be unacceptable and needing alteration immediately. Will President Obama step in? If he doesn’t we’re told then that women with high-risk medical problems will be denied coverage for abortion care from their plans.

Some virulent critics of the ban suggest that (if it goes through, unaltered) the policy rather ironically would be tantamount to the (worse) ban proposed by anti-choice Republican Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) which President Obama claimed he avoided with his Executive Order.

Isn’t it interesting that just when the US is on the verge of finally enforcing nationwide health-insurance coverage it takes this very moment to say abortion care is to be treated differently in the new high-risk pools when it is the ‘women-vote’ in large part which voted Obama into the White House?

Why should women with so-called pre-existing conditions (which simply means deemed to have at least one health problem on record) be prevented from using their own private resources, to purchase coverage for abortion services, in these plans? Should they ever need an abortion - defined high-risk plans as they may be.

But since women (defined as having pre-existing conditions) have no choice but to be classified in, high-risk plans, are they not the most likely to have high-risk pregnancies and therefore the most vulnerable target as far as the proposed policy is concerned? This is like a form of punishment. The policy would have the consequence of preventing women with health problems from getting the abortion coverage they may need at some point to prevent a further endangerment to their health.

President Obama would be wise to ensure women’s reproductive health choices in these temporary insurance plans — be it high-risk pools or otherwise.