Insurers embrace GOP with campaign cash; Palin drives abortion wedge

After being labeled as "villains" and enemies of reform by Democrats, health insurers are shifting their cash to the coffers of Republican candidates, giving GOP campaigns eight times as much money, Bloomberg reports. "WellPoint, along with Coventry Health Care Inc. and Humana Inc., gave Republican candidates $315,000 from May through July, according to U.S. Federal Election Commission records. That compares with $41,000 given to Democrats by the three companies as the parties near November elections that will determine who controls the U.S. House and Senate next year." An analyst says it's unlikely that Republicans will win large enough majorities to repeal the overhaul, but they may be able to slow its implementation (Armstrong, 8/26).

Meanwhile, in abortion-related politics and policy news:

The Associated Press: Sarah Palin said President Barack Obama oversaw "the biggest advance of the abortion industry" ever and tied Florida Governor Charlie Christ to the president. In vetoing a recent bill that would have required women to have ultrasounds before abortions, Crist "forgot that when to comes protecting the sanctity of life actions speak louder than words," she said (Farrington, 8/27).

The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch: "Two of the Richmond area's three abortion clinics do not meet the standards for an outpatient surgery center and would be at risk of closing if stiffer regulations authorized by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli are enacted, say critics of the proposed rules. Statewide, up to 17 abortion clinics would be at risk of closing, according to an abortion-rights group. Cuccinelli, a Republican, issued an opinion Aug. 20 that suggests the Virginia Board of Health has the authority to impose additional regulations on the state's abortion clinics" (Smith, 8/27).