Hoyer Pledges To Work with Stupak To Address Abortion Coverage in Health Reform

March 10, 2010 — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday pledged to work with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) to resolve the dispute over abortion-coverage language in the Senate health reform bill (HR 3590), CQ Today reports. Hoyer said the issue "has to be resolved," adding, "I think it will be resolved one way or the other, and the bill will be passed."

Stupak claims that there are about one dozen antiabortion-rights Democrats -- including himself -- who will vote against a final health reform bill if it includes the Senate reform bill's abortion-coverage language. The Senate bill would allow health plans in proposed insurance exchanges to offer abortion coverage but require customers to make two monthly payments -- one to pay for abortion coverage and one for everything else (Epstein, CQ Today, 3/9). Only private funds would be used to cover abortion care. No federal funds would be used for that purpose (Women's Health Policy Report, 3/9). Stupak is advocating for more-restrictive language that is similar to an amendment he sponsored in the House bill (HR 3962) that would prohibit all health plans receiving federal subsidies from offering abortion coverage (CQ Today, 3/9).

Stupak spokesperson Michelle Begnoche on Tuesday said that Stupak "has not reached an agreement on abortion funding in the health care legislation" but has had "meaningful discussions" with several House leaders, including Hoyer and Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). Begnoche added that Stupak "expects further meetings this week and remains optimistic that language can be worked out" (O'Connor, Politico, 3/10). Hoyer said that he has not sat down with Stupak to discuss the issue. He said Stupak recently approached him on the House floor to request a meeting (Epstein, CQ Today, 3/9).

Resolving the issue likely will "cause a major headache for all concerned" because of the strategy Democrats are expected to use to enact the health overhaul, CQ Today reports. The strategy would involve the House passing the Senate bill in its current form. Both chambers would then take up a separate "corrections" bill that would make changes to the Senate bill. The Senate would pass the corrections bill through the budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority in the Senate and therefore would help Democrats avoid a filibuster. However, abortion is not likely to be included in the corrections bill because it is not a tax or spending issue, which are the only issues that may be included in bills passed through budget reconciliation, CQ Today reports (Benson/Epstein, CQ Today, 3/9).

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday said President Obama will work with Democrats on the abortion issue. Gibbs also noted that the bill "is not a bill about abortion; this is about health care reform." He added, "I think there's no doubt that we can come to a solution that maintains the rules that are in place" (Khan, ABC News, 3/9).

Three Options Possible

Roll Call reports that House Democratic leaders are "wrestling" with three options to resolve the abortion-coverage issue. One option would be for Democrats to include changes to the abortion language in the budget reconciliation bill or draft a third piece of legislation to deal with the issue. A third bill would require 60 votes in the Senate to overcome procedural hurdles.

A second option would be to include a permanent ban on abortion coverage in any public insurance plan but hold an annual vote on abortion-coverage restrictions on private insurers. Stupak has said that he reached such an agreement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last year but that the deal fell through, prompting him to offer the amendment that ultimately was included in the House bill. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said an annual vote is not an option she would support. "We're not going to have an annual vote on anything," she said, adding, "We're not going to cross our fingers and hope we can fix this later."

The third option would be for Pelosi to gather enough votes to pass the Senate bill with its current restrictions. According to Roll Call, this is the option Pelosi prefers. It would require her to offset any "no" votes Stupak collects with "yes" votes from House members who originally voted against the House bill (Dennis/Newmyer, Roll Call, 3/10). On Tuesday, Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) -- who previously supported Stupak's language -- said he intends to vote for health reform. Kildee said he is satisfied with the Senate bill's abortion-coverage language, adding that it "keeps the purpose of" current federal restrictions (Dennis, Roll Call, 3/9).

Women's Coalition Opposes Senate Language

A coalition of more than 50 women's rights groups is calling for major changes to the Senate bill's language, Politico reports. In a letter Tuesday to Obama, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the groups said the bill's current abortion-coverage restrictions place "unacceptable obstacles for women who wish to purchase insurance that includes abortion coverage and for plans that wish to offer it." They added, "We are calling on you to make improvements that would ensure that under reform, women will not lose the private health insurance coverage for abortion that they now have" (Politico, 3/10).

Pelosi said she expects the House to vote on the Senate bill before a two-week recess that begins March 26 (Epstein et al., CQ Today, 3/9). Despite earlier claims from the White House, Hoyer said that the House will not pass legislation by a March 18 deadline (Allen, "Blog Briefing Room," The Hill, 3/9).

Former Mich. County Official To Challenge Stupak

Connie Saltonstall -- a former Charlevoix County, Mich., commissioner -- on Tuesday announced plans to challenge Stupak in the Democratic primary, the Detroit Free Press reports. Saltonstall said that Stupak's efforts to block health reform because of abortion-related issues contributed to her decision to run. "I believe that he has a right to his personal religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed health care reform because of those views is reprehensible," Saltonstall said in a statement. Saltonstall's supporters are working to collect the 1,000 signatures required for her name to appear on the August primary ballot.

Stupak has held the seat since 1993, the Free Press reports. Saltonstall made an unsuccessful run for state representative in 2008 (Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 3/9).

Broadcast Coverage

~ NPR's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday featured a discussion with NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner and Catholic priest Thomas Reese of Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center. Rovner and Reese discussed the significance of abortion as an obstacle to enacting health reform. They also discussed the influence of the National Right to Life Committee and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the debate, the procedural obstacles to further compromises, and the absence of trust on all sides (Inskeep, "Morning Edition," NPR, 3/10).

~ MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Tuesday included a discussion with DeGette about Stupak's claims and whether a compromise is possible. DeGette also discussed why abortion-rights supporters are resisting any further restrictions beyond current law (Hayes, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 3/9).