skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Obamacare's Survival a Relief for Pro-Choice Advocates

play audio
Play

Friday, September 29, 2017   

WASHINGTON, D.C. - One group indicating relief about the U.S. Senate not voting on a new Affordable Care Act replacement bill this week is pro-choice advocates.

Republican leaders in the Senate canceled a scheduled vote on Tuesday, leaving the "Obamacare" mandates on family-planning coverage in effect for now. Some estimates have said as many as 32 million Americans would have lost their health insurance under the bill.

And, according to Kaylie Hanson Long, the national communications director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, it would have imposed severe restrictions on reproductive rights.

"Allowing states to waive birth-control coverage, really restrict abortion coverage," she says. "What's really offensive too is, the whole time, they have been talking about passing a bill that really slashes maternity care."

Republicans have called the Affordable Care Act a disaster with increasingly unaffordable premiums, dwindling choices for consumers and exorbitant costs. Failure of the latest repeal effort is likely to restart a bipartisan effort to improve the ACA.

And Long adds there is another option on the table - Senator Bernie Sander's "Medicare for All" bill, which would cover abortion services.

"That would have the impact of repealing the Hyde Amendment, which does nothing but prevents low-income women from receiving the same kind of health care that their wealthier peers can access," she explains.

The Sanders bill would create a national, single-payer health-care system, replacing most private health insurance.

President Donald Trump, who made ACA repeal a central theme of his election campaign, expressed his disappointment that the effort failed again. But Long stresses the fight is far from over.

"This won't be their last attempt," she warns. "They're going to continue to try to chip away at the law in whatever way they can. But that's why we all need to stay on our toes and keep up these resistance efforts."

Republicans say they will renew their repeal efforts after they have resolved the issue of tax reform.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Environment

play sound

Maine officials are stepping up land conservation projects as climate change continues to alter the state's terrain. New funding from the Land for …

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021