RNC has abortion coverage in own plan

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Registered: 08-30-2002
RNC has abortion coverage in own plan
5
Thu, 11-12-2009 - 10:29pm

Oh oops.


http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/11/rnc-planning-immediate-review-of-its-abortion-coverage.html


Ken McKay, the chief of staff of the Republican National Committee, has prepared a memo to all 168 members of the RNC informing them that party chairman Michael Steele has called for the party's 27-member executive committee to conduct an immediate review of the elective abortion coverage contained in the RNC’s health insurance policy.


“I can assure you that the Chairman takes this issue very seriously,” writes McKay.


Cigna offers its customers the opportunity to opt out of abortion coverage but the RNC chose not to opt out in 1991. The RNC’s current leadership says that it was not previously aware of the abortion coverage under its Cigna plan until a Politico reporter contacted the press office on Wednesday.


Even though the decision to include an abortion service was made 18 years before Steele took the party reins, the abortion issue is a politically sensitive one for him because although he describes himself as pro-life, he parts with some fellow Republicans by believing that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision upholding a federal right to abortion should be left in place under the principle of stare decisis.


No date has yet been set for the abortion review but McKay’s memo calls for it to take place in “the immediate future” as part of a broader review of the RNC’s health insurance policy.


McKay’s memo gets in a jab at Cigna, saying that “much of the information” on the RNC’s policy was provided by the insurance company.


The executive committee is the body responsible for deciding the content of the RNC’s health insurance policy.


Read more coverage from ABC News HERE.


See below for the memo from RNC chief of staff Ken McKay to the RNC’s executive committee:


###


Members of the Republican National Committee:


On Wednesday morning, the RNC’s Press Office received a phone call from a reporter asking questions about the health care policy the RNC offers employees through Cigna, and specifically whether or not our plan covers elective abortion procedures for our employees.  Upon learning of this story, at the Chairman’s direction, we immediately contacted the Executive Committee. The story was published this afternoon with much of the information on our policy being provided by Cigna. We will be scheduling a call with the Executive Committee in the immediate future to discuss this matter more fully.


Our current insurance plan was put in place in 1991. Chairman Steele had already called for an official review of our health insurance policy along with a number of other operational items.  The review of our health insurance policy has been underway for some time and that review continues.  I can assure you that the Chairman takes this issue very seriously.  The Chairman began travelling to state party events on Wednesday evening this week and will be out of the office attending party building events until Saturday evening.  He has been engaged by phone on this issue.  In accordance with Chairman Steele’s instructions we will update you and discuss the steps we are taking to address this issue.


…


Sincerely,


Ken McKay



Avatar for ddnlj
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 11-13-2009 - 8:17am

This is the kind of stuff that makes me sooooo angry at the people who run OUR lives. They have created a different world, a different way of life for themselves. What they deny the rest of us they ultimately have in place for themselves.


THEY can have abortions if they so choose; the rest of us can come under fire for even thinking the "A" word.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Fri, 11-13-2009 - 10:20am

RNC's insurance covers abortion
By the reasoning behind the Stupak amendment, the committee might have paid to terminate employees' pregnancies




Holy hypocrisy, GOP: The Republican National Committee's health insurance plan covers abortion. This news comes by way of Politico's Meredith Shiner and Jonathan Allen, who appropriately point out the obvious conflict here: "The party’s own platform calls 'a fundamental assault on innocent human life.'" The RNC didn't opt out of abortion coverage, though, even though that is allowed by Cigna, its insurer. Worse yet, though, is the fact that 176 House Republicans voted for the Stupak amendment, which restricts federal funds from going toward insurance plans that cover abortion. God forbid the government help you to get an insurance plan just like the one enjoyed by the RNC.


When Politico called up RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho to ask about this funny little wrinkle, she explained that, oh, uh, the policy was instituted before Michael Steele became the RNC chairman. What about philosophical consistency, though? According to the reasoning behind the Stupak amendment, by paying for a plan that covers abortion, the RNC itself just might have paid for abortions.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2004
Fri, 11-13-2009 - 12:05pm

Just a little caveat.... The RNC is not a part of the government.

Avatar for ddnlj
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 11-13-2009 - 12:40pm

That was my point. What's good for "them" doesn't seem to be good for US.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2004
Fri, 11-13-2009 - 1:41pm

Yes, but the "them" you are ranting against is "the people who run our lives."