Restrictions on Private Insurance Coverage of Abortion: A Danger to Abortion Access and Better U.S. Health Coverage
Adam Sonfield
Guttmacher Institute
First published online: June 6, 2018
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.