Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Oregon House advances bill requiring insurers to provide free abortions for all — including illegals

Oregon lawmakers have advanced a $10 million reproductive health care bill that would require all insurance companies across the state to provide free abortions to all patients, even if they are living in the U.S. illegally.
The bill, named the Reproductive Health Equity Act, passed the state’s House of Representatives, which is made up mostly of Democrats, by a 33-23 vote Saturday, KVAL-TV reported.
If it becomes law, the legislation would allocate nearly half a million dollars during the 2017-19 budget period to expand free reproductive health care — including abortions — to illegal immigrants who would otherwise be barred from accessing the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program. The bill would provide coverage to the estimated 22,873 women living in the state illegally.
The Oregon Health Plan currently spends roughly $2 million per year to pay for about 3,500 abortions statewide.
State Rep. Julie Fahey, a Democrat, praised the House for advancing the bill. She told the Statesman Journalthat health care “is a basic human right” and later tweeted that state-funded coverage should not be dependent upon a person’s legal status. READ MORE