Statement by Senator McCain on GAO Report Confirming Administrations's Failure to Prevent Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Under Obamacare

Statement

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which found that qualified Obamacare insurance providers are violating federal law by failing to segregate funds that pay for elective abortion procedures. Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare insurance providers are required to collect separate payments from customers to cover abortion services so that taxpayer money in the form of subsidies does not cover them. According to the GAO's findings, however, 15 insurers in a sample of 18 are selling Obamacare plans that do not segregate funds to cover abortion -- a clear violation of federal law.

"Obamacare has many flaws, but none more egregious than its handling of federal tax dollars with regard to elective abortion services," said Senator John McCain. "Since the passage of Obamacare in 2010, the pro-life community has known that the bill does not adequately prevent federal tax dollars from being used to pay for abortions. But, with the release of this report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) effectively confirmed that Obamacare is furthering a pro-abortion agenda as aggressively as just about any other law ever enacted.

"This is one of the reasons I introduced S. 1851, Empowering Patients First Act, legislation that would not only repeal Obamacare but also clearly and effectively guarantee that taxpayer dollars cannot be used to fund elective abortions. The fact that taxpayer dollars are being used to fund elective abortions, as GAO recently found, is outrageous and, sadly, it appears that the Administration is okay with it.

"It's bad enough that the President broke his promise that "if you like your insurance you can keep it,' but now he is now going back on the compromise he made to prohibit federal funding for abortions under Obamacare. The law is clear that while qualified insurers under Obamacare may cover abortions, they must bill separately any elective abortion coverage so as to not comingle federal dollars.

"The GAO, however, found that insurers participating in the Obamacare exchanges are not segregating these charges -- in effect allowing taxpayer money in the form of subsidies to be used to pay for elective abortion procedures. This violates federal law and is another clear example of why Obamacare does not work and must be repealed and replaced.

"I have long been a pro-life supporter and have fought for the rights of the millions of defenseless unborn children who cannot speak for themselves. I will continue to support a ban on taxpayer dollars being used to fund abortions."

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