House liberals slam abortion limits in high-risk pools

A group of 21 liberal House
Democrats on Friday warned the Obama administration that new limits on abortion
coverage in high-risk pools will put vulnerable women in jeopardy of losing
needed care.

In a letter to
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the lawmakers
argue the agency should be taking steps “to expand women’s access to care,
and not narrow the scope of care available.”

“We are concerned that
limiting the range of services that women can access will affect how women and
their physicians make private medical decisions,” the lawmakers wrote. “Women
with pre-existing conditions may be in medically vulnerable positions, when
health considerations and life considerations are most intertwined and
complicated.”

Earlier this month, the White
House made waves by announcing that high-risk insurance pools — designed to
cover sick Americans who have been denied private insurance — can’t cover
elective abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is
threatened by the pregnancy. 

That’s a more restrictive policy than that being applied to
exchange plans, which can offer abortion services if the patient pays
separately for that coverage.