Background
In 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which, among many other things, provides for the establishment of state-level health care exchanges to assist individuals and small businesses in purchasing a private health insurance plan. Despite the fact that these exchanges were not operational until 2014, states began to enacted laws in 2010 that restrict the abortion coverage in plans purchased through the exchanges. But although federal health care reform may have renewed the debate around restricting insurance coverage of abortion, restrictive state abortion insurance policies are not a new phenomenon. Several states already restrict private insurance coverage of abortion; these restrictions also apply to plans sold on the exchanges. More often, states have banned abortion coverage in public employees’ insurance policies or in other cases where public funds are used to insure employees.
Highlights
- 11 states have laws in effect restricting insurance coverage of abortion in all private insurance plans written in the state, including those that are offered through the health insurance exchanges were established under the federal health care reform law.
- 8 states limit coverage to life endangerment.
- 1 state limits coverage to life, rape, incest, fetal impairment and “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
- 1 state limits coverage to life endangerment and “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
- 1 state limits coverage to life endangerment, “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function,” rape or incest.
- 9 states permit additional abortion coverage through purchase of a separate rider and payment of an additional premium.
- 26 states restrict abortion coverage in plans offered through the insurance exchanges.
- 7 states limit coverage to life endangerment.
- 4 states limit coverage to life endangerment and “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
- 1 state limits coverage to life endangerment, “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function,” rape or incest.
- 10 states limit coverage to life endangerment, rape and incest.
- 1 state limits coverage to life endangerment, rape and incest, fetal impairment and “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”
- 1 state limits coverage to life endangerment, rape, incest and cases of “grave long-lasting physical health damage.”
- 2 states prohibit any abortion coverage.
- 22 states restrict abortion coverage in insurance plans for public employees.
- 8 states limit coverage to life endangerment.
- 12 states limit coverage to some combination of life endangerment, threat to the woman’s health, rape, incest or fetal abnormality.
- 2 states prohibit any abortion coverage.
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20 states have more than one of the above restrictions.
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Topic
United States
Geography
- United States: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Monthly State Policy Updates
Get an overview of state legislative and policy activity in all topics of sexual and reproductive health.