Republicans demand HHS issue regulations restricting abortion coverage in high-risk pools

Senate Republicans on Wednesday called on the Obama administration to "act immediately" to prohibit federally funded state high-risk pools from covering elective abortions.

The request from 13 Republican senators comes after the Congressional Research Service last week said that the high-risk pools would not be prohibited from covering the procedure by the healthcare reform law, the president's executive order that no federal monies would be used to fund abortion or the Hyde amendment.

The Department of Health and Human Services said on July 14, however, that it would be issuing guidance to states restricting abortion coverage.

"Abortions will not be covered in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) except in cases of rape or incest, or where the life of the woman would be endangered," HHS spokeswoman Jenny Backus said at the time.

But the CRS report, requested by Republicans on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says that statement "is not a formal policy issuance" even if "it is reasonable to conclude that HHS intends on issuing regulations formalizing this stated policy."

In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the senators request that the agency issue such regulations as soon as possible.

"Absent such contractual requirements," they write, "it will be necessary for Congress to modify the current law to include restrictions to prevent federal dollars from being used to provide such coverage. We request that you identify the specific actions and timeline you will take to address these concerns by July 30, 2010."