The Bishops And Health Insurance Reform, Ctd

A reader writes:

As your earlier reader noted in passing, the Catholic Bishops refused to accept the "segregation" of federal funds from abortion dollars.  Under that scheme, health insurance companies would separate federal money from private money and require abortion payments to come from the private pot. 

The New York Times reported today that the Catholic Bishops rejected the segregation plan as an accounting gimmick.  They have a point.  The private pot of money can be easily subsidized by the federal pot of money.  The federal pot of money will buy items that the private pot would have bought, thereby subsidizing the private pot of money.

This is the same method that is used when tax dollars go to parochial schools, many of which are Catholic.  Tax money can buy pencils and desks, but not Bibles.  Catholic schools do not have to spend money on books because the taxpayer chips in for those.  This leaves more money to spend on religious activities.

I wonder if the Catholic Bishops even considered this point when slamming the abortion-segregation device as an accounting gimmick.