This issue brief examines health reform and access to coverage for abortion services, a much-discussed subject in the reform debate. The paper discusses current law regarding federal and state policies that address abortion coverage, lays out key issues being debated regarding abortion coverage under health reform, and raises questions about the possible impact of the House and Senate legislation on women’s coverage for abortion services. The House and Senate bills handle the issue in different ways, which can be seen in the paper’s side-by-side comparison of abortion provisions in the bills passed by the respective chambers.
Under the House and Senate bills, 94% of the 12.4 million uninsured women of reproductive age have incomes that would likely qualify them for federal assistance in obtaining health coverage through Medicaid or the new health insurance exchange, and thus would likely be affected by the abortion coverage provisions. The brief breaks down these estimates state-by state, and also provides background on abortion in the U.S. and coverage of abortion services under current law and practice.
Issue Brief (.pdf)
