Governor Rick Snyder has vetoed an overhaul of Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Michigan because the legislation would require insurance companies to offer separate coverage for abortions. But he signed new regulations on clinics that perform abortions that could force some of them to shut down.
Governor Snyder says the abortion provision in the Blue Cross legislation went too far, and forced him to torpedo one of his top legislative priorities. The language would have required consumers to purchase separate coverage from their insurer for elective abortions. The governor says that would deny abortion coverage to some victims of rape or incest, or in cases where a woman’s health is endangered.
The governor did sign new regulations on many abortion providers to be inspected as surgical clinics. That includes clinics that offer abortion pills but don’t perform surgeries. The governor also signed legislation that requires providers to ask if a woman is being threatened or coerced into aborting a pregnancy.