Connecticut Deems Abortion An “Essential Health Service” Under Obamacare
Earlier this week North Dakotans voted down Measure 3, an amendment to the state constitution which would have provided further protections for religious freedom. It was voted down, I think, because voters didn’t see the compelling reason for it. They take for granted that their religious liberty is already protected by existing law.
They’re wrong, and this proves it:
A Connecticut state health panel voted unanimously last week to pass a measure deeming elective abortions an “essential health benefit.” This means that, when the plan takes effect in 2014, abortions of any kind, for any reason, would be covered by state insurnace plans under the Affordable Care Act — a.k.a. Obamacare.
Under Obamacare, you can only buy insurance through state health care exchanges, and all insurance policies sold on the exchanges have to meet the policies of the state (which, in turn, have to be approved by the Secretary of Health). This means that the government decides what your health insurance policy does and does not cover.
If the state decides you have to buy insurance for tobacco addiction counseling you have to buy it even if you’ve never used tobacco. If the state decides your policy won’t cover mammograms for women under 50, you won’t get that coverage.
And yes, if the state decides that abortion for any reason is an “essential health service,” then you’ll be forced to pay for it. Even if you have a moral objection to abortion.
But remember, Obamacare wasn’t a government take over of health care. It just represents total government control over what your health insurance policy will and will not cover.