{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=353542", "<span class=\"kicker\">Members speak out on broken promise</span> As Obamacare Rolls Out, Exchanges Hide Info on Abortion Coverage, Mandatory Abortion Surcharge", "2013-10-09", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "With the exchanges of the \u201cAffordable Care Act\u201d (AKA \u201cObamacare\u201d) activated this month, it has become evident that it is nearly impossible for individuals to try to determine which exchange plans on their state exchange, if any, exclude abortion, said a group of lawmakers at a bipartisan press conference today. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) unveiled his legislation, H.R. 3279, the \u201cAbortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act\u201d \u2014cosponsored by 70 other Members of the House\u2014to ensure full disclosure of abortion coverage, requiring prominent and transparent disclosure of abortion coverage for each plan offered on an exchange. This is crucial information for millions of Americans since the many plans that include elective abortion are required by law to impose a monthly mandatory abortion surcharge. Many Americans object to paying a surcharge into a fund to be used solely for the purpose of aborting unborn babies. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Smith said the inauguration of the Obamacare exchanges reveals that many health insurance plans throughout the nation will include abortion on demand\u2014even late term abortions. Smith recalled that in October 2009, President Obama said in a speech to a joint session of Congress that, \u201cunder our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortion\u2026 .\u201d A week after the Obamacare rollout, many are now discovering that\u2014contrary to solemn promises made by the President himself\u2014Obamacare violates the Hyde Amendment by funding plans that include abortion. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe new law requires premium payers to be assessed an abortion surcharge every month to pay for abortions,\u201d said Rep. Smith. \u201cBut many pro-life Americans may unwittingly purchase pro-abortion plans because of a marketing secrecy clause embedded in Obamacare which stipulates that the surcharge be minimally disclosed only at the time of enrollment.\u00a0 In other words, bury it in the fine print. This is a Right to Know bill. Americans have a right to know upfront and with full transparency when they are purchasing a plan that subsidizes the killing of unborn children. Even the most ardent advocate of abortion should embrace full disclosure.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Joining Smith and Dan Lipinksi (D-IL), co-chairs of the Pro-Life Caucus, were Reps. Joe Pitts (PA-16) and Diane Black (TN-06), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) and Trent Franks (AZ-08). \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAmericans buying their insurance through the new healthcare exchanges shouldn't have to spend hours trying to figure out if the money they pay for premiums will be spent to provide abortions. This bill will give the American people the transparency they need to make informed decisions that are in line with their religious and moral beliefs,\" Rep. Dan Lipinski said. \"None of this would be a problem if we pass the 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.' There is a longstanding principle in our country that the federal government does not subsidize abortions. Yet under Obamacare, taxpayer money under the guise of federal subsidies will be paying for insurance that covers elective abortion. This needs to stop.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe President tells Americans that they can go online, find the plan that covers what they need, and make a selection,\u201d said Rep. Joe Pitts. \u201cIf Obamacare is all about choice, then why is the administration making it so difficult for people to find out about whether a plan pays for abortion? It\u2019s time that we got some truth in advertising.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe Obamacare exchange launch has been an unmitigated disaster,\u201d said Congressman Diane Black. \u201cOne of the most troubling problems is that many consumers are unclear as to what exactly will be covered by the plans they purchase online. Clearly Americans who are pro-life would object to paying for a health care plan that included abortion coverage and then be forced to pay an abortion surcharge into a fund that is meant to be used solely for the purposes of destroying human life.\u00a0 And this is equally problematic for the millions of Americans who simply don\u2019t believe the federal government should be subsidizing abortions. The Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act would simply require that all plans on the exchanges disclose whether or not the plan includes abortion coverage. This is not a partisan issue\u2014this is commonsense.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I support the legislation that Rep.\u00a0 Chris Smith has put forward, and I adamantly believe that we need to lift the veil of secrecy from Obamacare while ensuring transparent policies,\u201d said Rep. Vicky Hartzler. \u201cI commend every member that has signed on to this bill, and I also encourage members of both parties and the Senate to vote for this common-sense legislation. We must eliminate the \u201csecrecy clauses\u201d and \u201cabortion fees\u201d from current taxpayer subsidized insurance plans and fight to restore individual religious liberty and moral conscience to our medical decisions.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=353542"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7782059255987406, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}