LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — As Affordable Care Act (ACA) negotiations heat up, Attorney General Dana Nessel has jumped into the fray—insisting the fight isn’t really about tax credits, but about abortion coverage and “unlawful” federal limits.
In a Dec. 9 press release announcing her decision to join a 21-state letter, Nessel argued that proposed restrictions would violate “state sovereignty,” raise health costs, and “interfere with personal medical decisions.” She also accused Republicans of showing “a blatant disregard for the health and rights of millions of Americans,” saying they were “using essential abortion care as a bargaining chip to extend ACA tax credits.”
Nessel believes the change would eliminate affordable options for residents in states where abortion coverage is permitted and would force many to switch plans or lose subsidies.
The states also pushed back on the claim that federal dollars subsidize abortion, noting that ACA plans offering abortion coverage already require enrollees to pay a separate surcharge to comply with federal funding rules.
The coalition went so far as to claim the effort amounts to a covert national abortion ban.
In Nessel’s words, “This proposal is the latest attempt by the federal government to restrict access to lifesaving reproductive health care, and the coalition argues it is yet another attempt to implement a back-door federal abortion ban.”
Conservatives, notably, argue the opposite—that taxpayer-backed ACA subsidies should not support plans covering abortion, in line with long-standing federal restrictions and the moral convictions of millions of Americans.
Negotiations over ACA subsidies continue, with tax credits set to expire at the end of the year.