WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Thursday to limit tax breaks for insurance policies that cover abortion as Republicans try to chip away at President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
The House Ways and Means Committee voted 22-14 on a party-line vote to pass the bill, which also would prevent people from deducting the cost of an abortion from their taxable income.
The bill would prevent small businesses and taxpayers from using tax credits in the new health care law to provide or pay for insurance policies that cover the procedure. If women paid for an abortion using tax-free income set aside in a health-savings account, the money would have to be reported as taxable income. There would be exceptions for cases of rape or incest, or if a physician certified that a woman’s life would be in danger if she didn’t end the pregnancy.
The bill now goes to the full House, where it is supported by GOP leaders. The Associated Press
