Tweet
Here is Iowa, we have had the most progressive and life saving law ever passed. We were the only state where the Governor signed off on abortions. This law allowed a right-to-life Governor to stop abortions.
It is so disappointing our Christian friend, Governor Terry Branstead, did not want to keep this law in place. Now the ultra liberal Des Moines Register is lauding him for giving up this power.
This is terrible. If he does not want to sign off, he should have given that power to a group us True Christian™ Mayors. We would evaluate every request and see to it Jesus' opinion of abortion was carried out:
Branstad correctly gives up authority over abortions
The Register's Editorial 11:25 p.m. CDT May 15, 2015
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad(Photo: Register file photo)
Gov. Terry Branstad signed a budget bill two years ago that enabled him to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether Medicaid would be used to pay for certain abortion services.
Because Medicaid payment is an option only in cases where the fetus has severe medical problems, or the mother’s life is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest, the number of cases that could go to the governor for a decision would be limited. At the time, roughly two dozen Medicaid-eligible abortions were being performed in Iowa each year.
Those numbers have remained constant. A University of Iowa Hospitals spokesman said last week that in the fiscal year that ended last June, the public hospital performed 20 abortions that would have qualified for Medicaid reimbursement, and has performed 14 so far this fiscal year, at an average cost of $961 per case.
Fortunately, the UI Hospitals stopped billing Medicaid for these procedures after the 2013 law was passed, which means the governor never has been asked to decide which cases are deserving of reimbursement and which are not.
Now comes word that Branstad is prepared to relinquish his authority over Medicaid payment for abortions. That’s encouraging, as elected politicians should never be asked to make case-by-case decisions on individual patients’ Medicaid benefits — regardless of the treatment and services that are being billed.
Not surprisingly, Iowa is the only state that has had such a rule. With that provision excised from the governor’s new, proposed budget, the rule is likely to evaporate. Some House Republicans says the provision could be revived and inserted into the Iowa Department of Human Services’ proposed budget, but doing so would be a mistake.
Medicaid may be administered by the states, but it is funded largely by the federal government, and federal guidelines require the states to pay for abortions in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother’s life. No governor — regardless of his stance on abortion — should be asked to disregard those requirements and make a decision for payment based on his or her own feelings.
Governor Branstad deserves credit for his willingness to give up his authority over such cases. And the UI Hospitals should be commended for pushing back against the politicization of Medicaid-funded medical procedures.
It is so disappointing our Christian friend, Governor Terry Branstead, did not want to keep this law in place. Now the ultra liberal Des Moines Register is lauding him for giving up this power.
This is terrible. If he does not want to sign off, he should have given that power to a group us True Christian™ Mayors. We would evaluate every request and see to it Jesus' opinion of abortion was carried out:
Branstad correctly gives up authority over abortions
The Register's Editorial 11:25 p.m. CDT May 15, 2015
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad(Photo: Register file photo)
Gov. Terry Branstad signed a budget bill two years ago that enabled him to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether Medicaid would be used to pay for certain abortion services.
Because Medicaid payment is an option only in cases where the fetus has severe medical problems, or the mother’s life is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest, the number of cases that could go to the governor for a decision would be limited. At the time, roughly two dozen Medicaid-eligible abortions were being performed in Iowa each year.
Those numbers have remained constant. A University of Iowa Hospitals spokesman said last week that in the fiscal year that ended last June, the public hospital performed 20 abortions that would have qualified for Medicaid reimbursement, and has performed 14 so far this fiscal year, at an average cost of $961 per case.
Fortunately, the UI Hospitals stopped billing Medicaid for these procedures after the 2013 law was passed, which means the governor never has been asked to decide which cases are deserving of reimbursement and which are not.
Now comes word that Branstad is prepared to relinquish his authority over Medicaid payment for abortions. That’s encouraging, as elected politicians should never be asked to make case-by-case decisions on individual patients’ Medicaid benefits — regardless of the treatment and services that are being billed.
Not surprisingly, Iowa is the only state that has had such a rule. With that provision excised from the governor’s new, proposed budget, the rule is likely to evaporate. Some House Republicans says the provision could be revived and inserted into the Iowa Department of Human Services’ proposed budget, but doing so would be a mistake.
Medicaid may be administered by the states, but it is funded largely by the federal government, and federal guidelines require the states to pay for abortions in cases of rape, incest and to save the mother’s life. No governor — regardless of his stance on abortion — should be asked to disregard those requirements and make a decision for payment based on his or her own feelings.
Governor Branstad deserves credit for his willingness to give up his authority over such cases. And the UI Hospitals should be commended for pushing back against the politicization of Medicaid-funded medical procedures.
Comment