Due to the recent leak of a draft supreme court ruling with the potential to overturn Roe V. Wade, many Americans have questions regarding current and future abortion protections in the United States. One such common question is whether insurance even covers the cost of an abortion at all.
When talking about employer-sponsored or private health insurance, the answer, like many you’ll 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
- Illinois
- Maine
- New York
- Oregon
- Washington
Regarding Affordable Care Act (ACA) 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 mother’s 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.
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Suppose the Supreme Court officially overturns Roe V. Wade. In that case, almost all abortion policymaking will be turned back to individual states, so it will be essential to research the ins and outs of the law in your state. Many states have so-call “trigger laws” banning or vastly limiting abortion immediately upon the overturning of Roe V. Wade.
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