State Laws And Policies

For a chart of current laws and policies in each state related to Medicaid coverage of abortion, see State Funding of Abortion Under Medicaid.

For information on state laws and policies related to other sexual and reproductive health and rights issues, see State Laws and Policies, issue-by-issue fact sheets updated monthly by the Guttmacher Institutes policy analysts to reflect the most recent legislative, administrative and judicial actions.

Can I Take Time Off From School To Obtain An Abortion

Yes. California public school students may leave school for certain medical appointments, including to have an abortion. You do not have to tell your school why you are going to the doctor or clinic, and they cannot ask about the type of care you are receiving. Schools may call the doctor or clinic to confirm you have an appointment and the time of the appointment. Your school must let you go to your appointment and generally cannot notify your parents. Your absence must be excused and your teachers must allow you to make up any missed assignments.

Does Insurance Cover Abortions

May 12, 2022

When talking about employer-sponsored or private health insurance, the answer, like many youll find in this article, is it depends on the state you live in and if your employer does not restrict abortion services on their plans. The American Civil Liberties Union has a map with the most up-to-date state information on its website. At the time this article was written, six states required that private insurance companies cover abortion:

• California
• Oregon
• Washington

Regarding Affordable Care Act policies, these are included under the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortion services. This Amendment also includes Medicaid and Medicare coverage. There is an exception in the Hyde Amendment, however, in the case of rape, incest, or if the mothers life is endangered.

Again, states have the option of using their state funds to cover abortions on ACA health insurance plans. The six states listed above as requiring private insurance coverage of abortion also require ACA plans to cover abortion services as well through state funding. However, many more states restrict or ban abortion coverage through state funding.

Or, if you are approaching 65 years of age, TrueCoverage can also connect you with Medicare Advantage plans or supplemental policies!

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What Do You Get Free Pregnant

Free prescriptions and dental care All prescriptions and NHS dental treatment are free while youre pregnant and for 12 months after your babys due date. Children also get free prescriptions until theyre 16. To claim free prescriptions, ask your doctor or midwife for form FW8 and send it to your health authority.

Does My Health Insurance Cover Abortion

The main factor that will determine if your health insurance covers abortion is the laws your state has passed. For example, in Texas, all health insurance policies are prohibited from covering abortion services. But in Colorado, only people who use Medicaid are not covered. In the table below, you can find your state along with whether there are certain health insurance types that will have abortion restrictions. The checkmark will indicate if that state has any laws in that health insurance category.

As you can see, the majority of states restrict abortion services in some way. For the states that have enacted restrictive laws either through Medicaid, marketplace or employer coverage abortion health insurance coverage will be provided if the life of the pregnant woman is endangered.

If a state has no limitations on abortions, no matter where you receive your health insurance from Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare or employer sponsored you would be able to use your health coverage for an abortion. For example, say you are currently on Medicaid in Connecticut. If you needed an abortion, you could go to a Planned Parenthood center or another clinic, present your Medicaid card and receive the necessary care at a reduced price, which would show up on your health insurance.

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What Country Has Free Healthcare

Countries with universal healthcare include Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

How Did Coverage Of Abortions Work Before

Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision last week, abortion coverage was still highly dependent on where you lived and what type of plan you had, Donovan said. “Most states impose restrictions on coverage in varying degrees.”

Eleven states limit the coverage of abortion in all private health insurance plans written in the state, according to The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization. They are Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Meanwhile, just six states California, Illinois, Maine, New York, Oregon and Washington require abortion coverage, with some stipulations, on private plans.

The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, blocked federal funding for services such as Medicaid from being used for abortions, except in limited cases including rape and incest. States can choose to use their own budgets to supplement their Medicaid coverage and extend their abortion policies, but more than 30 states have not done so, Donovan said.

As a result, “in many states, hundreds of thousands of women seeking abortion services annually are left without coverage options,” according to a 2019 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Does My Insurance Cover Abortion

Many factors determine the price of an abortion, which affect the answer to that all-consuming question does insurance cover abortion?

While the answer to this question isnt easy to determine, the reality is that not all women will be able to cover abortion with insurance.

Here are a few of the factors that affect whether your insurance will cover abortion:

• Legislation
• The state you live in
• Where you work
• Type of insurance

Can My Private Insurer Discriminate Against Me For Having An Abortion

No. California law and the California Constitution prohibit private health insurers from discriminating against you for receiving any reproductive healthcare, including abortions. For example, insurers cannot refuse to provide you with insurance because you had an abortion, nor can they change the pricing of your insurance plan.

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If I Believe My Rights Have Been Violated What Can I Do

If you are having issues with your HMO covering abortion-related services, please contact the California Department of Managed Health Care. For information about how to get help with other kinds of health plans, please visit the California Office of the Patient Advocate.

To file a complaint against a doctor, please visit the Medical Board of California.

To file a complaint against your employer, please visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and/or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

You can also contact us if you have any more questions or believe your rights have been violated.

Do You Get A One Off Payment When You Have A Baby

A Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off payment of £500 to help with the costs of having a new-born or adopted baby. It only applies to people living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You will only get a Sure Start Maternity Grant if the new baby is the only child under 16 in the household.

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At What Stage Does A Fetus Have Rights

Most individuals have formed their own opinion and some say that an unborn baby doesnt have any rights until they are born, others think that they accrue them at the point of conception, and some say that it can be from 22 weeks where it is considered by doctors that it is the earliest point at which a baby could.

Unequal Access From One Region To The Next

Although abortion is now considered a fundamental right across Canada, access still varies widely from region to region. Provinces like Alberta and Prince-Edward-Island only have a few facilities that are able to perform abortions. New Brunswick refuses to fund abortions that are not performed in hospital.

Also, many pregnant people still get pressured by parents and relatives not to have an abortion.

Even though the right to abortion is now enshrined by law, many people in Canada still struggle to access it and have to fight to assert their rights.

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Can I Take Sick Leave To Have And Recover From My Abortion

Yes. If your employer provides sick leave, then you can take your accrued sick leave for abortion-related care. In California, employers are required to provide a minimum of 3 days of sick leave each year, which you can use for pregnancy- and abortion-related care. Your employer cannot require you to explain why you need sick leave.

Can My Private Insurer Require Prior Authorization Before I Obtain An Abortion

Yes. Prior authorization means that your insurer may ask you to seek approval from the insurer before you receive a medication or surgical abortion, but your insurer cannot prevent you from obtaining an abortion or refuse to cover your abortion. Additionally, you have a right to receive timely care. Urgent care appointments that require prior authorization must be scheduled within 96 hours of your request, and non-urgent care appointments that require prior authorization must be scheduled within 15 days of your request. The process for obtaining prior authorization will vary depending on your insurers policies.

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How Do People Feel Emotionally After An Abortion

In general, people choose abortion because being pregnant is not the right choice for them at that time. Most people feel relief after their abortion and are satisfied that they have made the right decision. Some people feel sad or emotional for a few days or weeks afterwards and may find a supportive friend or counselor very helpful at this time. Researchers have found that having an abortion does not make people feel negatively about themselves in the future.

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If The Us Supreme Court Issues A Decision That Limits Abortion Rights And Access Will That Decision Impact My Right To Have An Abortion In California

Probably not. Californias Constitution and laws protect the right to choose to have an abortion as a fundamental right. If the Supreme Court issues a decision that limits abortion rights, it will not change California law because the decision will likely only give states the option to restrict or prohibit abortions.

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Which Types Of Insurance Plans Cover Abortion

State policies on abortion health insurance coverage.KFF

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, many companies across the US announced they would cover travel costs for employees seeking out-of-state medical care.

Employer health insurance falls into two categories: fully-insured plans and self-insured plans. A fully-insured plan is when an employer purchases health coverage from a state-regulated insurance company.

By comparison, companies with self-insured plans pay for employees’ medical bills directly. Approximately 64% of US workers were covered by self-funded health insurance plans in 2021, according to Statista.

State laws including those that outlaw insurance providers from covering abortions can only regulate fully-insured plans. Companies with self-insured plans are “free to make whatever coverage decisions they want,” Sara Rosenbaum J.D., a professor and founding chair of health law and policy at George Washington University’s school of public health, told Insider.

“The woman may have to travel and would have to make clear that that they’ll let you go out of network for the care,” she said. “But they could certainly cover it.”

Currently, only eleven US states have laws that prohibit abortion coverage from being included in fully-funded private insurance policies, according to health policy nonprofit KFF.

How The Us Health Insurance System Excludes Abortion

Abortion is considered to be a separate, politicized entity within the broader health insurance system, but a lack of coverage for this critical health care can have devastating impacts on women.

• Anusha Ravi

• Report PDF

Abortion access is a critical right for all people, regardless of their race and socio-economic status, that helps ensure long-term economic security for women and families across the nation. Access to reproductive health care can empower people to be able to continue their education, pursue a fulfilling and economically secure career path, and choose if and when to have children. In order to protect and expand access to this safe medical care, health insurance options must include abortion coverage.

Abortion coverage varies based on health insurancewhether a person has insurance through Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, a private employer-sponsored plan, or another source. States also have a significant amount of control over how individual health insurance companies cover abortion. Insurance coverage of abortion, therefore, has become location- and coverage-specific, creating challenging circumstances for people seeking abortions, especially low-income people, many of whom are women of color.1

This issue brief outlines several health insurance categories and explains how each respective type of insurance generally covers abortion.

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How Women Are Paying For Abortion

Half of women who choose abortion do so because they cant afford to raise a child, or have other dependents who rely on them and their income.

The financial burden of having a child is, in fact, the largest reasoning cited for choosing abortion, with domestic abuse, relationship issues, single parent projection, and medical issues making up the remaining decision makers.

That being said, it might be surprising to note that more than half of women who receive abortion services pay for it out of their own pockets. Others are able to get it covered by their insurance.

If I Am A Minor Will My Healthcare Provider Inform My Parent Or Guardian About My Abortion

It depends.

Generally, healthcare providers cannot inform your parent or guardian that you received an abortion without your signed written consent.

However, if a minor reports sexual assault or rape to a healthcare provider, then the healthcare provider must attempt to contact the minors parent or guardian, unless the minor is 12 years of age or older and reports rape only, in which case the provider can only report with the minors signed written consent.

If a minor reports child abuse, including physical abuse or sexual abuse, to a healthcare provider, then the provider must report the abuse to the police or child abuse authorities. If child abuse is reported to the police or child abuse authorities, the parent or guardian will likely be contacted.

It is up to you to decide whether to share how you became pregnant with your health care provider.

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Do I Have The Right To Obtain An Abortion In California

Yes. Pregnant people in California have a fundamental right to choose to have an abortion. This right is protected under both the U.S. and California Constitutions.

California only prohibits abortions after the point of viability, which is when a physician determines based on a good-faith medical judgment that there is a reasonable likelihood the fetus can survive outside the uterus without extraordinary medical measures. Abortions can only be performed after the point of viability if a physician determines based on a good-faith medical judgment that continuing the pregnancy would pose a risk to the life or health of the pregnant person. These determinations are individual to the person and their situation.

Can I Request That Communications About My Abortion Be Sent To A Location Other Than My Usual Mailing Address

Yes. You can request that your insurance provider send all abortion-related communications to a specific address. Your insurance plan may require you to make a statement that receiving communications about your abortion in a way other than as you requested would endanger you. However, the insurer cannot require you to provide further information about how and in what ways such communication would put you in danger. Depending on your insurance providers policies, you might be able to request confidential communications via telephone, by mail, or by email.

Many insurance providers have online forms that you can find by searching, for example, Confidential Communications Request. Alternatively, you might choose to contact your insurer through its customer service phone number, and a representative should be able to provide you with details about requesting confidential communications.

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Restrictions On Private Insurance Coverage Of Abortion: A Danger To Abortion Access And Better Us Health Coverage

HIGHLIGHTS

• Antiabortion conservatives have long sought to eliminate private insurance coverage of abortion, and their main tactic in Congress has been to push for barring health plans from covering abortion if any part of the plan is paid for with federal dollars.
• Abortion coverage is already severely restricted and difficult to obtain in many parts of the United States, and further federal restrictions will make things worse for patients who need abortion care.
• The obsession with banning abortion coverage threatens broader efforts to expand and improve U.S. health insurance coverage and to make it more affordable.

One long-term goal of antiabortion conservatives has been to eliminate abortion coverage in all private insurance plans, just as they have eliminated abortion coverage under Medicaid in most parts of the United States already. In a number of the most conservative states, antiabortion policymakers have pursued their goal directly: Eleven states have outright bans on abortion coverage in all private insurance plans regulated by the state, and many additional states have bans for segments of the insurance market, such as in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans or plans for public employees .1

References

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