Abortion Language That Sunk Blue Cross Overhaul Reintroduced

Health insurers would only be able to cover elective abortions through optional rider plans under legislation in the state Senate.

Enlarge image

Credit WKAR File Photo

As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher tells us, the same measure sunk a proposed overhaul of Blue Cross Blue Shield late last year.

Governor Rick Snyder vetoed the Blue Cross overhaul because he said the abortion measure would have been a government overreach.

Now, that language has been reintroduced as stand-alone legislation.

Republican state Senator Mark Jansen says he still has hope Snyder will come on board.

“We’ll see kind of what were the issues with the governor,"  he says.  "But we’ll work our way through that as we pass it through the Senate.” 

Jansen says employees should not be forced to pay for insurance plans that automatically include abortion coverage.

The Blue Cross bills have also been re-introduced – this time without any controversial abortion language. They passed unanimously in the state Senate last week.