Well, I do. The answer is "yes."
Before HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius started “answering” questions about Obamacare's fine print, one of our columnists made a phone call to the “D.C. Healthlink.” As a pro-lifer, she asked a representative whether she could purchase any insurance plan that did not include elective abortion coverage. After being put on hold, the representative on the other end returned and told her that “all qualified health plans” required coverage of “preventative services” like abortion. Surprise!
The same issue is apparent in Rhode Island, where it was revealed all 28 plans include abortion coverage.
Despite this proof that Americans all over the country are being forced to pay abortion premiums, Sebelius appeared clueless when Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) questioned her on this point. Here was the exchange,
Rep. Shimkus: “… Another transparency issue: Um, if someone – a constituent of mine or someone in this country has strongly held pro-life views, can you commit to us to make sure that the federal exchanges that offer that is clearly identified, and so people can understand if they’re going to buy a policy that has abortion coverage or not? Because right now, you cannot make that determination.”
Sec. Sebelius: “Sir, I – I don’t know… I – I know exactly the, the, uh, um issue that you are talking about, I will check and make sure…”
In reality, the abortion fee is a dollar or more a month. Doesn’t seem like much, right? Well, those pennies add up. Alliance Defending Freedom does the math.
“Say just half of American workers are forced to pay only a dollar each month. That’s $924,000,000 – all funneled into an abortion-on-demand fund each year. That translates to more than 2,000,000 elective abortions that you have been forced to help fund.”
What’s more, Obamacare has a "gag rule" that forces employers to keep mum about which plans include an abortion premium until the time they enroll.
It gets better, yet. Planned Parenthood – the largest abortion provider in the country – helped write all these mandates.
This is unacceptable. DC residents, Rhode Island residents, and all Americans should have the religious freedom to reject health insurance plans that forces them to pay for abortions. Some employers have been leading the fight against the abortion pill mandate that challenges their faith. This encroachment on religious liberty also sparked the Twitter trend #BeTransparent today throughout Sebelius’s hearing.
The Health and Human Services Secretary may claim to be ignorant of the law’s impact on pro-life employees, but even she can’t reject the evidence that countless Americans are being forced to violate their religious consciences.