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Quick Fact: O'Reilly falsely claims health bill will "require American taxpayers to fund abortion"

March 15, 2010 10:22 pm ET — 14 Comments

On his Fox News program, Bill O'Reilly claimed that the health care bill will "require American taxpayers to fund abortion." In fact, the Senate bill, now being considered by the House, prohibits health insurers from using federal subsidies to pay for abortion services restricted under the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest.

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O'Reilly claims "taxpayer money linked up with the termination of a fetus"

Talking about health care reform on the March 15 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly falsely claimed that "we now have taxpayer money linked up with the termination of a fetus." Although he noted that President Obama "says no federal money will be used to fund abortions," O'Reilly concluded: "After much reflection, Talking Points would not vote for Obamacare mainly because the country can't afford it. ... In addition, it is grossly unfair to require American taxpayers to fund abortion if they believe it's wrong."

FACT: Senate bill does not allow federal funding for abortion above current law

The Senate health care reform bill -- now being considered by the House -- as passed states that if a "qualified health plan" offered under the health insurance exchange provides coverage of abortion services for which public funding is banned, "the issuer of the plan shall not use any amount attributable" to the subsidies created under the bill "for purposes of paying for such services."

Senate bill establishes a separate premium to segregate funds used to pay for abortions from federal funds. The Senate bill as passed further requires issuers to "collect from each enrollee" in plans that cover abortions a "separate payment" for "an amount equal to the actuarial value of the coverage of" abortion services. This value must be at least $1 per enrollee, per month. All such funds are deposited into a separate account used by the issuer to pay for abortion services; federal funds and the remaining premium payments are used to pay for all other services.

Current law allows for Medicaid to provide coverage for abortions restricted by Hyde by using similar fund segregation. According to a November 1, 2009, study by the Guttmacher Institute, 17 states provide coverage under Medicaid for "all or most medically necessary abortions," not just abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape, and incest. Those states "us[e] their own funds" -- not federal funds -- "to pay" for the procedures. Therefore, in 17 states, Medicaid, a federally subsidized health care program, covers abortions in circumstances in which federal money is prohibited from being spent on abortion.

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    • Author by progressiveright (March 16, 2010 12:44 am ET)
      4  
      I am getting sick and tired of this blatant lie. The right has nothing in the facts so they lie. Every media person who helps spread this lie should be fired and never hired again any book they write should be shredded before an editor looks at it.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Euphman21 (March 16, 2010 1:03 am ET)
        1
      But it's Stupak who continues to give credibility to the lie in the face of all reason. After reading the provision several times, I fail to see why anyone thinks the Senate language is a step back from the Hyde rule.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by TomJoad (March 16, 2010 3:17 am ET)
      4 1
      "In addition, it is grossly unfair to require American taxpayers to fund abortion if they believe it's wrong." - O'Reilly

      Really? Interesting precedent you're setting there Bill. I've always felt that wars of aggression are wrong. Perhaps the wars you've championed so simplistically (and immorally) in the last decade should be privately funded by concerned citizens? Only tripping point might be that abortion is actually legal, and is for all intents and purposes a health procedure... where as your wars and renditions and tortures are, well, totally illegal. But no, you're right - taxpayers should never have to fund things they don't support. I'm sure that would work exceptionally well.

      (While we're on the subject, I've always admired the logic in Chomsky's argument that there should be a mandatory draft for the army. That way it won't just be poor people with no alternatives that are forced to fight American's wars of terror - rich people will have to fight too, maybe even people like O'Reilly - maybe then the USA will start taking human life a bit more seriously.)
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Lute (March 16, 2010 10:53 am ET)
           
        the rich never have to send their childs to war.

        Re: George jr. playing jet pilot till he got bored.
        McCain's daddy was an admiral, so John went off to crash planes for a living. One time, he crashed it in the wrong place.

        Still I agree we should have a draft, it creates a perpetual vociferous opposition to war in the lower & middle class.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by achrispage6992 (March 16, 2010 7:33 am ET)
      4 1
      So here we are. The right is now backed into the proverbial corner. Reduced to committing children and old men to battle, if you will. This is their last option in a vain effort to try to turn this around. Notice how this myth is being spread across the entire right wing spectrum. I'm so sick of O'Reilly's self aggrandizing in which he bellows how "independent" he is. He is using the exact same GOP, right wing talking points as all the others. Now they want to try to convince their sheep that "obamacare" will result in public funded abortion on every street corner. It's all they got. O'Reilly and the rest of the pitiful losers on the right are simply using the GOP strategy of fear. We now know for a fact that this is the official strategy of the GOP. We now see the talking heads obediently following the party line.

      All of em' are sick son's of b!tche$. Each and every one of em'.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Floyd (March 16, 2010 9:06 am ET)
        1 6
        page-- We now see the talking heads obediently following the party line.

        Isn't that exactly what YOU are doing? Do you include yourself as one of those "sick son's of b!tche$"? Maybe "obamacare" can provide SAFE venues to provide abortions, instead of those venues we hear about in PA, that have the worst health conditions imaginable. Perhaps "obamacare" can provide some funding to keep abortion venues within legal limits of cleanliness. But, something tells me liberals don't care if the venues are safe or not, since they are only there to kill unborn children that liberals don't feel are worthy of life.


        That problem we have with this article is that, recently, there was another article about the HC bill (by mmfa) and one poster simply said there isn't any way the HC bill can 'cost more to taxpayers' because "there wasn't a bill, yet". So, if there isn't a bill actually being processed, how can BOR be telling falsehoods about a bill that isn't even real? Perhaps IF the government ever gets it done we can have this conversation then. But, since the government is run by democrats the bill will never get done. Proven by the FACT that democrats couldn't even agree among themselves while they had control of the government entities that could have pushed the bill through.

        Liberals are such whiners that they even whine about events that haven't even happened, but not always. I do remember a lack of whining while the democrats blocked the passage of that bill for the exact same reason. Why didn't liberals whine about abortion being such an issue a couple months ago?

        It's too bad democrats aren't smart enough to propose the simple solution of 'having those in need sign up for government coverage'? Wouldn't that be much more simple (and less expensive) than revamping the entire medical process's? Maybe someone can tell me if those who receive food stamps get them automatically or if they have to sign up for them. Same with unemployment benefits ... do you have to sign up to get them? How about ANY other government assistance ... is it given to you automatically or do you have to sign up for it? If you ask me, the LEFT is the cause of all lies being told to the media. It's simply their job to print it. The left is so full of liars and misinformers they can't even figure out who to blame for the lack of national health care, so they blame everyone except the true cause --- DEMOCRATS! Following one of the base liberal ideals ... blame others for problems caused by fellow liberals.

        Report Abuse
        • Author by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© (March 16, 2010 9:27 am ET)
          2 2
          Could you rephrase that screed in the form of a coherent paragraph?
          ~
          Report Abuse
          • Author by Floyd (March 16, 2010 9:32 am ET)
            2 5
            Which part was that? The 'democrats failed' part or the 'democrats lied' part or the 'liberals hate babies' part?
            Report Abuse
            • Author by foghornleghorn (March 16, 2010 11:08 am ET)
              3  
              As I posted yesterday, I'm pro-killin' babies. I'm a liberal, I hate babies, and I want them all dead.
              Report Abuse
              • Author by Lizinbklyn (March 16, 2010 11:21 am ET)
                3 2
                Yeah, Floyd, here in NY we eat a delicious entree . .

                'Zyogtes w/spaghetti' . .

                UUUM, UUUM, GOOD . .
                Report Abuse
              • Author by iphoneman (March 17, 2010 11:06 am ET)
                   
                You are really sick. As one who miscarried 5 times, your statement is very cruel. This is an alarming measure of the demented mentality of our society. May God forgive you.
                Report Abuse
    • Author by Reinhard (March 16, 2010 9:06 am ET)
      4 1
      Now O'Reilly and the rest of the mainstream media can incite their followers to kill all the people who support HC reform 'cuz they all support baby murder. It's the next logical step for the Republican talking points.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Lute (March 16, 2010 10:09 am ET)
         
      O'Reilly's mission statement was to become "the Authority"--
      albeit he didn't realize it at first, the spin stops here,
      maybe, perhaps, could be--the grand sweep of the pen over the blank white pages that contain no facts that might dull the fear postulated. One might note with a chuckle how the spin must continue to spin without them, which is no matter to the Authority, his oracular abilities are without peer, eclipsing even the Pope.
      (Ratzinger, but that's another matter)

      Belch, that is to say Beck will flame out like the meteor over Kamshaska and likely leave just as big a mess. Murdoch didn't hire him for the long hall anyway, rather for a morphine injection to the network, when he overdoses the grand old man will find another junkie to fill the void--maybe Malkin's snake venom could be peddled from the back of the wagon for a while.

      Shame vaudeville has descended to this, one sorry act after another, the theatre lit by garish lights, the gofers in a frenzy to feed the stars' appetites. The unwashed wander in to listen to the song and dance, and cringe and grimace in their seats as the horror descends and gets worse, the hot lights melting the wax faces of one harlequin after another.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by Pedro2 (March 16, 2010 10:46 am ET)
         
      Abortion is a smoke screen that diverts attention away from the bigger picture of whether USA should adopt socialized medicine.

      If you can make abortion the central issue, then as soon as an agreement over abortion is reached then health care passes.

      Report Abuse

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