Abortion foes capitalize on health care law

An obscure part of the law allows states to restrict abortion coverage by private plans operating in new insurance markets. Abortion rights supporters are dismayed.

“Health care reform is not an excuse to take rights away from women.”

Since Obama signed the legislation law March 23, Arizona and Tennessee have enacted laws restricting abortion coverage by health plans in new insurance markets, called exchanges. Most of the states allow exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Insurers still could offer separate policies to specifically cover abortion.

Overall, there are 29 states where lawmakers or public policy groups expressed serious interest, Harned said.

Before the overhaul became law, five states had limits on private insurance coverage of abortion — Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota and Oklahoma. Abortion rights supporters are concerned that the list is growing as a result of the new federal law.

Murray had joined in voting down a federal abortion coverage ban when the Senate debated health care last year. Now she and other abortion rights supporters worry the same sorts of restrictions could spread from state to state.

Most private health insurance plans cover abortion as a legal medical procedure, but research indicates many women opt to pay directly.

The federal law allows private insurance plans in the exchanges to cover abortion as long as they collect a separate premium. That compromise split abortion foes in Congress and around the country. All eyes are now on Florida, where Gov. Charlie Crist will decide soon whether to sign a bill that restricts abortion coverage in that state’s insurance exchange. “If Florida passes it, it really open up more moderate states to passing these bans.”