The Republican National Committee’s health plan with the insurance company Cigna has covered abortion since 1991, according to an investigation by the online news site Politico. Cigna’s health coverage plan allows employers to opt out of coverage for specific items, but the RNC, which employs members of the Republican Party, did not opt out of abortion coverage. Politico broke this news story yesterday and noted that the Republican Party’s own platform refers to abortion as “a fundamental assault on innocent human life.” RNC’s leader, Michael Steele, quickly responded in a statement promising they would opt out of abortion coverage from their health insurer. Politico’s investigation comes on the heels of last weekend’s vote on President Obama’s health care reform plan. A bill finally passed the House of Representatives thanks to the inclusion of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which forbids federal subsidies for health insurance to be used to pay for plans with private insurance companies that cover abortion. When the House of Representatives voted on the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, 176 Republican representatives (all but one) voted in its favor. [Politico]
