This morning, the Trump Misadministration has imposed a new rule mandating that those covered by Obamacare that are using abortion services to be sent a separate monthly premium bills in its latest brazen anti-choice attack on abortion access and reproductive freedom. Anti-abortion outlets such as Life News and LifeSiteNews are praising this disastrous decision.
Sara Hansard at Bloomberg Law:
Obamacare insurers must send separate bills to consumers to cover premiums for abortion services under a rule issued Dec. 20 by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The final rule issued by HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also requires the exchanges operated by 12 states and the District of Columbia to conduct eligibility verifications using outside data sources at least twice a year to ensure their enrollees are eligible for Affordable Care Act subsidies.
EXPECTED TODAY: REGULATIONS ON ABORTION COVERAGE — The White House budget office has cleared a rule intended to bar government money from funding abortions for Obamacare customers, and two individuals with knowledge tell PULSE that they're expecting HHS to roll it out today.
The Trump administration last year proposed to require Obamacare insurers to send a separate monthly bill to customers for the amount of their premium attributable to abortion services. The additional regulations were expected to create additional headaches for insurers and patients, and reproductive-rights groups have panned the idea.
Kimberly Leonard at Washington Examiner:
The Trump administration finalized a rule that will require some health insurers to send their customers separate premium bills to cover abortion.
The rule, announced Friday, applies to plans that are sold on the Obamacare exchange and will go into effect June 27, 2020. Most of the people who buy health insurance on the exchange get tax subsidies from the government to help pay premiums, and anti-abortion groups have pushed for the separation because they don't want government funding involved in paying for abortions.
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Planned Parenthood blasted the Trump administration for its decision and said 3 million people would be affected. Abortion rights groups say the process makes billing more cumbersome, noting that insurers would have to send separate bills that may be as little as $1 a month and worry that insurers will fail to cover abortions.
Planned Parenthood Action’s Twitter (@PPACT):
Planned Parenthood’s Twitter (@PPFA):
National Women’s Health Network’s Twitter (@TheNWHN):
The Trump regime today issued a final rule that critics say will add to the long list of impediments women face when seeking an abortion. The rule, which is scheduled to take effect Feb. 27, 2020—60 days after publication in the Federal Register—requires companies that provide health insurance through the exchanges set up under Affordable Care Act to establish separate billing for abortion coverage.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood Federation of America notes that the rule could harm 3 million women who have health insurance through the exchanges. In addition to following the misogynistic agenda underlying attacks on reproductive rights by forced birthers, the rule is another example of class war in that it affects the ability of less affluent women to obtain a legal medical procedure that is meant to be accessible to all regardless of their financial circumstances.
Currently, companies are required to segregate that portion of premiums which cover abortions, with the proviso that the amount charged cannot be less than $1. A hassle, to be sure, but one handled with simple accounting measures. The new system will mean both insurance companies and those covered must deal with two bills and two payments. Thus is a safe procedure again carved out of standard medical practice for special, negative treatment.