LGBT POV

UPDATED:

The US House of Representatives passed a landmark healthcare reform bill late Saturday night by a slim margin – 220-215.

Earlier in the day President Barack Obama asked Congress to “answer the call of history” and expand coverage to millions who lack it.

Thirty nine Democrats voted against the bill while one Republican — Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana — voted for it.

However, in order to hold together a tenuous coalition, Speaker Pelosi – who compared the bill to Social Security and Medicare – allowed a vote on an abortion amendment that places tough new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies. The vote was approved 240-194.

Rep. John Dingell, the 83-year-old Michigan lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since succeeding his father in 1955, according to MSNBC, said:

“It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it.”

The vote on abortion rights will likely result in some fallout from progressives. The amendment, sponsored by Michigan Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and others, “prohibits individuals who receive [federal] insurance subsidies from purchasing any plan that pays for elective abortions,” MSNBC reported, except in cases of incest, rape or when the life of the mother was in danger.

Apparently about three-dozen Democrats feared that the original healthcare bill would have subsidized abortions.  The Center for Reproductive Rights called it a “stunning assault on women’s health and rights,” according to the New York Times.

UPDATE: Antigay, anti-abortion activist Randall Terry, Operation Rescue Insurrecta Nex, issued this press release:

Mr. Terry and his associates from around the country have been fighting to keep child-killing by abortion out of any health care bill for months. 

Mr. Terry states: “This is a great first step to victory – a touchdown in the first quarter – but we have a lot of fighting ahead of us. Our rejoicing must be tempered by reality. The Senate Bill must also prohibit any money from going to child-killing; and then we must insure that the conference committee does not include child-killing in the final bill, should it pass both houses. We have many hurdles left. 

”Those of us who despise Socialism must now broaden our battle to kill the bill entirely. Our biggest battle is to stop the slaughter of children. The next battle is to keep our children from being saddled with trillions of dollars of debt. 

”Many of us would rather die half-starved free men than be well fed slaves on Uncle Sam’s plantation.”

Mr. Terry and his associates from around the country have been fighting to keep child-killing by abortion out of any health care bill for months.

Mr. Terry states: “This is a great first step to victory – a touchdown in the first quarter – but we have a lot of fighting ahead of us. Our rejoicing must be tempered by reality. The Senate Bill must also prohibit any money from going to child-killing; and then we must insure that the conference committee does not include child-killing in the final bill, should it pass both houses. We have many hurdles left.

“Those of us who despise Socialism must now broaden our battle to kill the bill entirely. Our biggest battle is to stop the slaughter of children. The next battle is to keep our children from being saddled with trillions of dollars of debt.

“Many of us would rather die half-starved free men than be well fed slaves on Uncle Sam’s plantation.”

The bill now goes to the Senate where it faces still opposition from conservatives and Independent Joe Lieberman.

Human Rights Campaign issued this statement:

Late this evening, the House passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, by a vote of 220 to 215. While this is a historic step toward improving health care for all Americans, it is also a tremendous advance for the health needs of LGBT people. HRC lobbied the three committees involved in drafting the bill to include provisions that would help LGBT people in particular obtain the improved access to health care that the Act is designed to provide. Some of these measures have been part of HRC’s legislative agenda as free-standing bills for many years. The key provisions in the bill that the House passed are:

Health Disparities – the bill specifically designates LGBT people as a health disparities population, opening up health data collection and grant programs focused on health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identity. With collection of data and funding of research, we can better address the specific health issues facing LGBT people.

Unequal Taxation of Domestic Partner Benefits – the bill ends the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, incorporating the language of the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. Without this tax penalty, more people will be able to afford employer-provided coverage for their families, and more companies will be able to offer these important benefits.

Early Treatment for HIV under Medicaid – the bill also incorporates the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which allows states to cover early HIV treatment under their Medicaid programs, instead of withholding treatment for Medicaid recipients until they develop full-blown AIDS, This will dramatically improve the quality of life for low-income people with HIV, as well as saving taxpayers money and reducing the transmission of the virus.

Comprehensive Sex Education – the bill provides funding for comprehensive sex education programs that focus not only on abstinence, but also reducing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. After more than $1 billion wasted on failed and discriminatory abstinence-only programs, this funding will provide youth, including LGBT students, with the tools they need to live healthy lives.

Non-discrimination – the bill prohibits consideration of personal characteristics unrelated to the provision of health care. HRC worked with a coalition of civil rights groups to develop and lobby for this language and we believe it will help protect LGBT people from discrimination in the health care system, where there are currently no federal protections for our community.

As the legislative process moves forward, HRC will continue to work to ensure that these important provisions remain part of the bill that reaches the President’s desk and, once it is law, to see that it is properly implemented.