Abortion in the U.S. Dashboard

In 2021, the median costs for people paying out of pocket in the first trimester were $568 for a medication abortion and $625 for a procedural abortion. The Federal Reserve estimates that nationally about one-third of people do not have $400 on hand for unexpected expenses. For low-income people, who are more likely to need abortion care, these costs are often unaffordable.

This brief reviews the status of state actions to strengthen and guarantee abortion access to their residents, as well as to prepare for the likely increase in demand for abortion services in those states should the high court overturn the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

During this November’s midterms, voters in four states will vote on ballot initiatives related to state constitutional rights to abortion. Three states (California, Michigan, and Vermont) will vote on ballot initiatives that, if approved, would amend those states’ Constitutions to establish an explicit right to abortion. One state (Kentucky) will vote on a ballot initiative that, if approved, would amend its state Constitution to declare that there is no right to abortion.

This issue brief provides background on the legal challenges to the Mississippi law in the context of the Supreme Court abortion precedents, addresses the intersections with the litigation that has arisen from S.B. 8, the Texas 6-week abortion ban, and explains the potential outcomes and how they could impact access to abortion around the country.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

Six states, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas, and West Virginia, have passed laws specifically banning telehealth for abortion provision. In addition,14 other states have enacted laws that require the clinician providing a medication abortion to be physically present during the procedure, effectively prohibiting the use of telehealth to dispense medication for abortion remotely.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

This factsheet provides an overview of medication abortion, with a focus on federal and state regulations pertaining to its provision and coverage, and the role of the drug in self-managed abortions.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

This brief outlines the intersection of federal policy regarding dispensing medication abortion with state laws regulating the provision of abortion services and mifepristone dispensing via telehealth and considers the implications of the recent FDA change in different states.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

Several states have enacted private plan restrictions and have also banned abortion coverage from ACA Marketplace plans. Currently, there are 12 states that restrict abortion coverage in private plans and X that ban coverage in any Marketplace plans.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

This Policy Watch takes a look at employers ability to access abortion information when their health plan covers abortion services. With some states criminalizing entities who assist in abortions, employers and providers face legal jeopardy and existing privacy laws such as HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) may be limited in their privacy protections.

This Policy Watch gives an overview of employers offering to cover travel expenses for workers who need to go out of state for an abortion in the context of increasing restrictions on abortion around the country. We discuss who is offering these benefits, the implications for workers, and some of the legal and political concerns for employers.

This policy watch examines the intersection of Medicaid coverage policies with state actions to ban abortion.

This brief details the federal programs that are affected by the Hyde Amendment and laws and regulations that have a similar goal, provides estimates on the share of women insured by Medicaid affected by the law, reviews the impact of the law on their access to abortion services, and discusses the potential effect if the law were to be repealed.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

This page tracks recent state actions to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage, including approved and pending 1115 waivers, legislation that will require the state to seek federal approval through a (State Plan Amendment) SPA or 1115 waiver, submitted and approved SPAs, and coverage financed solely with state funds.

This brief examines how policies aimed at limiting abortion may have negative consequences on people experiencing pregnancy loss.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

This report highlights key findings from the 2020 KFF National Physician Survey on Reproductive Health that asked a nationally representative sample of OBGYNs practicing in the United States about a wide range of issues, including their provision of contraception, abortion, and STI care.

**This analysis was conducted prior to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.**

Share of abortions by age, gestational age and method type.

State gestational limits, waiting periods & ultrasound requirements, insurance coverage, and medication abortion restrictions.

More than six months since the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, the January 2023 KFF Health Tracking Poll finds widespread public confusion around the use of mifepristone, the medication abortion pill, and the legality of the medication in their state.

According to our October 2022 tracking poll, more than eight in ten voters (83%) in states with full abortion bans say they oppose laws prohibiting abortion even in cases of rape and incest – which is currently the case in most of these states with full abortion bans.