Prometheus 6

New Rule: Let's make it illegal to pass laws against things that are already illegal.

House Haggles Over Abortion in Health Care Bill
By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders struggled Wednesday to strike a deal that would restrict the use of federal money to pay for abortions under sweeping health care legislation headed for debate on the House floor this week.

But the proposed compromise satisfied neither supporters nor opponents of abortion rights.

The haggling over abortion was part of a frenetic effort by House Democratic leaders to lock in the 218 votes needed to pass the legislation, and it highlighted the political land mines on the path to a vote tentatively set for Saturday.

Ahead of the vote, President Obama is planning to visit the Capitol on Friday to meet with the House Democratic caucus.

AARP, the influential lobby for older Americans, endorsed the bill on Thursday, helping Democrats answer a barrage of Republican charges that the bill would subsidize coverage for the uninsured by cutting Medicare in ways that would hurt older Americans.

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, a supporter of abortion rights, has little choice but to heed the concerns of members of her caucus who oppose abortion. As many as 40 House Democrats, a potentially decisive bloc, have threatened to oppose the bill without tighter restrictions on abortion.

Over all, the House bill would provide coverage to 36 million people at a cost of $1.1 trillion over 10 years.

The bill would establish a new government insurance plan, which would compete with private insurers around the country. Under the bill as now written, the secretary of health and human services could decide whether the public insurance option covers abortions.