#HR29 asking FED to rescind rule requiring health plans to provide sterilizations/contraceptives #nhhouse

HR 29, urging the United States Department of Health and Human Services to rescind its rule requiring health plans to provide sterilizations and contraceptives.  MAJORITY:  OUGHT TO PASS.  MINORITY:  INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.

Rep. Steven L Cunningham for the Majority of  State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs:  The committee agrees with the resolution’s sponsors that the Affordable Care Act of 2010’s policies force religious groups to not-so-indirectly pay for medical procedures that these groups find TO BE AN anathema.  The committee also agrees that our federal government thus negates basic religious tenets and that this negation is disturbing, abhorrent and unconstitutional.  Although HR 29 is merely a resolution, it does allow the New Hampshire House of Representatives to speak out against an overt attack on basic religious freedoms.  Testimony assured us that reproductive services are readily available to all women, often at little or no cost, through various not-for-profit organizations. Vote 13-5.      

Rep. Dale S Spainhower for the Minority of  State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs:  The minority of the committee believes that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) does not violate any citizen’s basic right to religious freedom.  The federal policy requires that employees of religion-affiliated institutions, such as hospitals and universities, have access to birth control coverage.  Churches are exempt from the requirement.  Insurance companies, not the organization affiliated with a church, will be required to pay for birth control costs.  No individual will be forced to buy or use contraception.  New Hampshire law, as in 28 other states, currently requires insurance companies that cover prescriptions in health care plans to also provide coverage for contraceptives.  In the United States, birth control use is widely accepted, including among Catholic women.  An April 2011 Guttmacher survey found that 99 percent of all women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, who are sexually active, have used birth control.  Drugs that cause abortions are not covered by the policy.  Contraceptive drugs are commonly prescribed for other health reasons including: hormonal imbalance, helping to reduce some types of cancer, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, uterine fibroid tumors, abnormal bleeding, and serious infections.  Religious freedom also includes employee freedom to choose their own religious values without interference from their employers.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is following a sound public health policy, one that makes contraceptives more affordable and reflects the requirements of the majority of American women and their families, regardless of their religious affiliation.