Does Obamacare Cover Abortion?

There’s been some controversy over whether or not Obamacare would fund abortions. Those on the right claim it will undoubtedly be the case, while those on the left (including President Obama) deny this claim as hyperbole.

In an effort to clear up the record, FactCheck.org recently took a look at this issue. Among the site’s findings was this point concerning an approved amendment (in the House Energy and Commerce Committee) to H.R. 3200:

The Capps amendment does contain a statement – as we noted in an earlier article– that prohibits the use of public money to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. That would still allow the public plan to cover all abortions, so long as the plans took in enough private money in the form of premiums paid by individuals or their employers. The Capps language also would allow private plans purchased with federal subsidies (“affordability credits” for low-income families and workers) to cover abortion.

In sum, the site states that:

As for the House bill as it stands now, it’s a matter of fact that it would allow both a “public plan” and newly subsidized private plans to cover all abortions.

This is something to keep in mind when listening to the debates.

* In a related “fact check,” the site also notes that the claim that a person can keep their health insurance if they like it is not necessarily true!