USCCB: Obama administration should comply with policy against abortion funding in federal health plans

September 05, 2013

The general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging the Office of Personnel Management to comply with a decades-old federal policy that prohibits “subsidizing federal employee plans that include elective abortions,” according to a USCCB press release.

“In 2010, the new health reform law provided that members of Congress and their staff may only be offered health plans on the newly created state health insurance exchanges,” the USCCB explained.

According to the Family Research Council, the Office of Personnel Management recently ruled that “federal dollars may now go to pay for plans offered on those exchanges that include abortion coverage.”

“Changing the place where these employees must go to obtain their health plans does not affect the continued applicability” of the current policy, the USCCB added. “A contrary policy … would also contradict repeated assurances from President Obama and Administration officials that the health care reform law would not be used to weaken existing abortion policies or expand federal funding for abortion.”

 

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Further information:

• USCCB Urges Office of Personnel Management to Comply With Federal Ban on Funding Health Plans That Cover Abortion (USCCB)
• Abortion Coverage for Congress? (Family Research Council)