Action Alert: Virginia Taxpayers Forced to Pay for Abortions?
A bill, HB 1922, sponsored by Marcia Price (D-Newport News), seeks to add payment for abortion, contraception, and sterilization to Virginia’s Medicaid program, as well as require this coverage in virtually all private health insurance plans.
HB 1896 (D-Hudson) would allow coverage of abortion on demand in health insurance plans in Virginia’s health exchange meant for low- and middle-income Virginians.
Click HERE to contact your Delegate and Senator to urge them to OPPOSE
HB 1922 and HB 1896 today!
Just one year ago, the radical pro-abortion majority in the General Assembly repealed over 40 years of protections for the unborn and their mothers, including eliminating the 24 hour waiting period, the ultrasound requirement prior to an abortion, and abortion facility safety standards. Now the billion dollar abortion industry wants to force Virginia taxpayers to foot the bill for elective abortions through Medicaid, the state health exchange, and even every private health insurance plan.
Here’s just a few of the egregious things HB 1922 would do:
Virginia taxpayers would be forced to fund elective abortions. Under this bill, Virginia taxpayers would be required to fund elective abortions for anyone enrolled in a state-funded medical assistance programs like Medicaid, which is around 1.5 million Virginians. And in addition to that, it even forces taxpayers to fund abortions, contraception, and sterilizations for non-citizens illegally present and not eligible for Medicaid.
Creates a major new funding stream for Planned Parenthood. The bill requires a health carrier to reimburse a provider (e.g. Planned Parenthood) for providing the services outline throughout the bill – “without any deduction for coinsurance, copayments, or any other cost-sharing amounts.” That means not only does this bill create a major new funding stream to Planned Parenthood, but it requires insurers provide the full reimbursement even if a co-payment was made – hence, a double-dip!
Private employers required to fund elective abortions. All private health insurance carriers, which by extension includes most private employers, will be forced to pay for elective abortions, all forms of contraceptives, and many other “reproductive health” services, for every person that it ensures.
The private employer requirement also violates clear Supreme Court precedent in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014), which held that even non-religious for-profit employers have religious liberty rights that prevent the government from mandating employers to provide their employees with no-cost access to contraception – much less abortion.
“Pregnancy” is categorized as a disease. Under this bill, a “pregnancy” would be treated as a disease or condition that must be “screened” for, along with 14 diseases (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, HPV, Syphilis, Anemia, Urinary tract infection, Rh incompatibility, Gestational diabetes, Osteoporosis, Breast cancer, and Cervical cancer). Pregnancy is not a disease to be screened for - it is the normal and natural process by which human beings enter this world!
Fails to provide any real protections for employers with religious objections. HB 1922 permits, but does not require, a health carrier to “offer to a religious employer a health benefit plan” that does not include coverage for “abortion procedures” (but not other services) that are inconsistent with the religious employer's deeply held religious beliefs, but only if all the employees are notified of any procedures the religious employer refuses to pay.
But not all religious employers qualify, even for this. For example, pro-life organizations would be required to pay for abortions through their employer health insurance plans because they do not meet the bill’s definition of a “religious employer.” Any ministry that does not “primarily serve members who share its religious tenets” – but simply serves all people – is not considered a religious employer.
We know Planned Parenthood and their cohorts are going to be pushing for adding a right to abortion to the state constitution, but it’s abundantly clear now they want to achieve all of this using your tax dollars.
