Bart Stupak: “I urge my colleagues, and I ask them to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit. The House bill is stronger than the…”

“I urge my colleagues, and I ask them to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit. The House bill is stronger than the Senate bill. The House bill provides stronger parity protections than the Senate bill for the same cost. The House bill requires parity in out-of-network benefits. The Senate bill does not. Out-of-network care is important where plans cover a limited number of providers and there are long waiting lists to access the care. The House bill requires coverage for all clinically significant disorders if the insurer chooses to provide coverage for mental illness. The Senate bill lets health plans pick and choose which diseases they will cover, so they could deny care for autism, eating disorders, alcoholism and more. And also, on this motion to recommit, when it comes to protecting human life, I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But this abortion provision in this legislation is a red herring. If this abortion provision was a problem, why would my colleagues, our colleagues, our friends in the Senate like Senator Coburn, Senator Brownback, Senator DeMint vote for it? I sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee where this bill came from. The abortion issue never was raised.”