OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Letter to the Hon. Alex Azar, Secretary of the HHS - Senate, House Lawmaker Press HHS to End Hidden Abortion Surcharge

Letter

By: Cindy Hyde-Smith, Robert Aderholt, Bruce Westerman, David Schweikert, Duncan Hunter, Ted Yoho, Gus Bilirakis, Buddy Carter, Rick Allen, Dan Lipinski, Roger Marshall, James Comer, Jr., Mike Johnson, Jack Bergman, Jim Hagedorn, Vicky Hartzler, Trent Kelly, Steven Palazzo, David Rouzer, Kelly Armstrong, Brad Wenstrup, Bill Johnson, Anthony Gonzalez, Lloyd Smucker, Jeff Duncan, Dusty Johnson, John Rose, Louie Gohmert, Lance Gooden, Mike Conaway, Chip Roy, Roger Williams, Ben Cline, Sean Duffy, Marco Rubio, Mike Crapo, Pat Roberts, Steve Daines, Kevin Cramer, James Lankford, Mike Rounds, Mike Enzi, Bradley Byrne, Rick Crawford, Andy Biggs, Doug LaMalfa, Matt Gaetz, Daniel Webster, Greg Steube, Barry Loudermilk, Steve King, Jim Banks, Ron Estes, Clay Higgins, Andy Harris, Paul Mitchell, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Jason Smith, Michael Guest, Mark Walker, Ted Budd, Steve Chabot, Bob Latta, Troy Balderson, Tom Cole, Joe Wilson, Sr., Ralph Norman, Jr., Tim Burchett, David Kustoff, John Ratcliffe, Kevin Brady, Bill Flores, Kenny Marchant, Rob Wittman, Glenn Grothman, Carol Miller, Joni Ernst, Todd Young, Joshua Hawley, John Hoeven, Jim Inhofe, John Thune, Mike Lee, Gary Palmer, Paul Gosar, Debbie Lesko, Doug Lamborn, Bill Posey, Ross Spano, Jody Hice, Tom Graves, Jr., Jackie Walorski, Steven Watkins, Jr., Steve Scalise, Ralph Abraham, Bill Huizenga, Tom Emmer, Billy Long, Roger Wicker, Greg Gianforte, Mark Meadows, Jeff Fortenberry, Jim Jordan, Bob Gibbs, Kevin Hern, Mike Kelly, Jr., William Timmons, Phil Roe, Mark Green, Dan Crenshaw, Ron Wright, Randy Weber, Sr., Pete Olson, Chris Stewart, Dan Newhouse, Alex Mooney, Rick Scott, James Risch, Roy Blunt, Thom Tillis, Deb Fischer, Tim Scott, Marsha Blackburn, John Barrasso
Date: July 1, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Abortion Health Insurance

Senate and House lawmakers, led by U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas), today pressed the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) to quickly finalize a rule to end a hidden surcharge within many health plans that funds elective abortion services.

Hyde-Smith and Cloud sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, signed by 25 Senators and 103 Representatives, that stresses the importance of swiftly replacing an Obama-era rule that violates congressional directives in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to keep abortion service charges separate from other premium payments.

"There is an urgency to ensure people are not unknowingly supporting abortions if they're enrolled in ACA health plans. The Obama administration strayed far from the law by allowing hidden abortion surcharges on people who would never condone their hard-earned money going to support abortions," Hyde-Smith said. "The regulations need to be corrected as soon as possible."

"Taxpayer money should never be used to take innocent lives, and Obamacare passed with the promise that taxpayers would not have to subsidize another person's abortion," said Cloud. "Nevertheless, these hidden abortion surcharges were pushed upon Americans who would have objected had they known."

A proposed HHS rule, titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Exchange Program Integrity," would enforce the separate payment requirement for ACA health plans that cover elective abortion services. While Congress required separate payments under ACA Section 1303, the Obama administration allowed such abortion fees to be paid together with other premium payments.

"This misinterpretation of the law created a hidden abortion surcharge in many health care plans on exchanges throughout the nation, requiring enrollees to--in some cases unknowingly--subsidize elective abortion," the letter to Azar said.

"We continue to urge swift action to finalize the rule in time for 2020 Open Enrollment. Failing to do so will result in another year of noncompliance with the requirements of Section 1303. It is time for the Obama-era regulation to be replaced," the letter concluded.


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