One in four women will have an abortion. But Trump’s new rule could put insurance coverage out of reach for millions.
The Trump-Pence administration is yet again trying to make it harder to access safe and legal abortion. A new proposal could make it nearly impossible for people to access abortion coverage through health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 3 million people would be affected by the rule.
Speak Out Against This Rule: Submit a comment now!
The rule is currently pending at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and it's collecting comments from people across the country. The deadline is January 8, 2019. Tell the administration you oppose its anti-abortion rule change!
Your comments are absolutely essential to delaying this rule. Why? Because HHS has to read every. single. one.
What Would the Administration's Abortion Coverage Rule Do?
The rule would force insurance companies to jump through unnecessary hoops to provide people with coverage for abortion. Under the rule, insurers would need to send separate bills — in separate envelopes or separate emails — for a patient’s abortion and any other health services.
What Does This Mean for Women and People Seeking Abortion?
The onerous payment process could discourage health insurance companies from covering abortion-related services altogether. That means access to abortion could become even further out of reach for many.
For lots of people, paying medical bills is already confusing and stressful enough — without sending them an additional bill, which would also have to be paid separately.
People seeking abortion services could have to pay up to $1,500 or more in out-of-pocket costs — or forgo the procedure altogether. Even worse, people could potentially lose their insurance if they forget to pay one of the separate bills.
Paying bills is stressful enough without new rules designed to trip you up. (Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash.)
Let's call this proposed rule what it is: Yet another blatant attempt by the administration to undermine the ACA and stigmatize basic reproductive health care. And it's part of the administration's broader attempt to eliminate access to abortion care altogether.
All of us deserve health care coverage that meets our needs — regardless of our gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or decisions about whether or when to have children.
Countless people are relying on us — please join us in making your voice heard!
One in four women will have an abortion in her lifetime. It’s up to each of us to fight back and protect the right to quality, affordable health care for the millions of women in this country who deserve to decide for themselves if and when to have kids.