Thursday, June 25, 2015

Supreme Court rules in King v. Burwell: Subsidies include abortion insurance

 Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of King v. Burwell, which dealt with federal subsidies for health insurance purchased on federal health exchanges. This is the second major case upholding parts of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

Here are several major points about how the decision will affect prolife people:

  • The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling means federal subsidies will continue for plans purchased on health care exchanges, including plans that pay for abortions.
  • Because of the grassroots efforts of prolifers across Michigan to collect more than 316,000 signatures to initiate the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act, the law was passed in 2013. Because of this law, subsidized plans purchased in Michigan do not include abortion coverage.
  • The federal Hyde Amendment prevents tax funding of most abortions, but because the Hyde Amendment does not apply to these subsidies, our federal tax dollars will continue to subsidize abortion coverage in states without an opt-out law.
  • The federal government should either apply the Hyde Amendment to health subsidies, or pass the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act to stop forcing people who object to abortion to fund abortions for others.

If you have any question about the decision, please contact Right to Life of Michigan at 616-532-2300 or info@rtl.org.

Click here for a PDF of the King v. Burwell opinions from the Supreme Court.