DOVER – Lawmakers filed a bill Friday that would increase access to reproductive care by requiring insurance carriers to provide coverage for abortion-related services.
Sponsored by House Majority Whip Melissa Minor-Brown, House Bill 110 would require all health benefit plans delivered or issued for Medicaid and both individual and group health carriers to cover services related to the termination of pregnancy. The bill also would ensure that coverage would not be subjected to any copay, deductible or cost-sharing requirement.
“The fundamental core of abortion rights is that reproductive care is healthcare, period. Once you acknowledge how important and vital these services are to thousands of women across Delaware, it’s easy to understand why it’s critical that we protect those rights and take steps to increase access, especially given the movement across the nation to block access,” said Rep. Minor-Brown.
“The lack of insurance coverage creates a barrier to services for low- and moderate-income women, many of whom already are struggling with access to reproductive care. HB 110 will tear down those barriers in Delaware and ensure that no one is denied the reproductive care they need and deserve.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute, eight states currently require abortion coverage in private health insurance plans, including nearby Maryland and New York. Eleven states have laws restricting insurance coverage of abortion in all private insurance plans written in the state.
“Since 2017, Delaware’s legislators have been steadfast in their commitment to protect abortion access. Despite the added protections we passed through the legislature in the wake of the Dobbs decision, cost remains a significant barrier,” said Senator Kyle Evans Gay, D-Talleyville, HB 110’s lead Senate sponsor. “Community organizations have tried to step in to fill this role, but they cannot meet the need for the high volume of requests each week. Without Medicaid funding for abortion, we are denying equal access to abortion services.”
HB 110 would include an exemption allowing a religious employer to obtain an exclusion if the requirements conflict with the organization’s bona fide religious beliefs and practices. The bill would take effect January 1, 2024.
HB 110 has been assigned to the House Health & Human Development Committee.
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