Nebraska’s Legislative Bill 22 – Lawmakers Debates Abortion Restrictions

Nebraska’s Legislative Bill 22 would severely limit women’s access to abortion under private health insurance. State lawmakers debated the advancement of the bill on Tuesday which would prevent private health insurance plans sold in Nebraska from covering abortions except in cases to save the mother’s life.

The lawmakers rejected, by a vote of 28-12, an amendment that would have broadened the bill to allow private insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest.  State Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, the bill’s author, argued against adding exceptions.  He said LB 22 mirrors an existing state law prohibiting abortion coverage by publicly funded health plans. Current law allows women to buy special riders to cover abortions.  McCoy said the same standard should apply to all private insurance.   His bill would pertain to insurance plans offered through the insurance exchanges to be created in 2014 under federal health-care reform, as well as those sold outside the exchanges.  “I believe strongly that Nebraskans who object to abortion should not be forced to pay for it with their tax dollars or their premiums,” he said.

Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm, who proposed the amendment, disagrees.  He said it would be “callous” to deny coverage for women following the trauma of rape or incest.  “We are setting up, through this bill, a claim for unequal protection under the law,” Sen. Brenda Council from Omaha said.

LB 22 takes advantage of an option added to the federal health care law by U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE). The “opt-out” provision allows states to exclude abortion coverage from the insurance exchange plans.  The federal law restricts abortion coverage through the insurance exchanges.  Public subsidies cannot be used to pay premiums for abortion coverage.  Policyholders would have to pay separately for that portion of their insurance policies. Five states have already passed opt-out legislation, and several others are considering such measures this year.  McCoy said his bill would add Nebraska to the list of five states that prohibit private insurance coverage of abortion.

LB 22 proposal would apply to plans regulated by the state. It would not apply to self-insured group plans, which fall under federal regulation.

On The Web

• Universal Health Idea OK’d By Colorado Senate Panel (huffingtonpost.com)
• Revealed: The Group Behind the Bills that Could Legalize Killing Abortion Providers (alternet.org)
• Banning Insurance Coverage of Abortion: What’s the (Big) Deal? (pphsinc.wordpress.com)

Tagged Abortion, Beau McCoy, Ben Nelson, Brenda Council, Health insurance, Insurance, Ken Haar, Nebraska