GOP Says Dems Can Extend Americans' Health Insurance...If They Also Further Restrict Abortion

"In the checkers board that is our government (no one here's playing chess), we have Democrats who enjoy pretending to put up a fight, only to cave at the first whiff of a breeze, and we have Republicans who will, without fail, find a way to make everything about banning abortion. The House reconvenes today, November 12, to vote on the bill to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. On Sunday night, seven Democrats and one Independent broke ranks to vote with Republicans on the spending bill."

"Now, the GOP is saying, sure, they'll agree to extend the subsidies...but only if Democrats let them further restrict abortion. Because of course they are. I love when the "states' rights" crowd proves they actually don't give a fuck. "That's what we're going to negotiate," Thune told reporters on Sunday. "A one-year extension along the lines of what [Democrats] are suggesting, and without Hyde protections-there's just not even, doesn't even get close.""

"The Hyde Amendment-an outdated, puritanical relic that has been restricting reproductive rights since 1976-prohibits any federal funding from being used for abortion, and this applies to the ACA. However, states can allow enrollees to pay a surcharge to include abortion coverage in their plans, according to NBC News. This creates a separate revenue stream, ensuring that federal funds still don't cover abortion care."

House reconvenes November 12 to vote on a bill to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Seven Democrats and one Independent broke ranks on Sunday night to vote with Republicans on the spending bill. The spending bill does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and only includes Majority Leader John Thune's promise of a December vote if Democrats introduce an extension bill. If ACA subsidies are not extended, they will expire by year’s end, causing monthly health insurance costs to rise for millions. Republicans say they will agree to extend the subsidies only if Democrats accept further abortion restrictions tied to Hyde protections and limits on federal funding. The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding for abortion and applies to the ACA; states can allow enrollees to pay a surcharge for abortion coverage, while 25 states ban abortion coverage in the ACA marketplace.

Read at Jezebel