Monday, May 10, 2010

Tennessee Strips Abortion Coverage from Insurance Exchanges

Once again, Tennessee's allegedly pro choice Governor Bredesen let an anti choice bill become law by letting it sit on his desk untouched for 10 days. Everyone's supposed to know he's pro choice because he didn't sign it. Whether the bill is veto proof, or not, does not change Bredesen's behavior. Just like that other so-called leader in Washington, instead of leading on the issue, he follows the will of the opposition. And we continue the march back to the 1950s:

. . Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) declined to either sign or veto a bill that prohibits health care plans participating in the state-based insurance exchange from offering “abortion services,” tacitly accepting the measure into law. Despite repeated attempts by Democrats to insert the language, the final text of the bill “makes no mention of any exception for the case of rape, incest or if the mother’s health is in danger,” as required by federal law (which provides exceptions for rape, incest and life endangerment, but not for health)

Tennessee is now the second state to officially prohibit private insurers from providing abortion coverage, even if it’s paid for out of private funds. The opt-out measure is part of a broader conservative effort, coordinated by Americans United for Life (AUL), a national anti-abortion group that released model legislation immediately after the law passed.