DELAWARE - Delaware lawmakers have introduced a bill that would increase access to reproductive care by requiring insurance carriers to provide coverage for abortion-related services.
House Bill 110, which is sponsored by House Majority Whip Melissa Minor-Brown, would require all health benefit plans delivered or issued for Medicaid as well as both individual and group health carriers to cover services related to the termination of pregnancy. Minor-Brown says that the bill would also make sure that there would be no 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, there are already eight states that require abortion coverage to be required in private health insurance plans, which include nearby Maryland and New York. Conversely, they say there are eleven states that have laws restricting abortion coverage in private insurance plans.
“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.”
Minor-Brown says that HB 110 would include an exemption for religious employers if the requirements conflict with the organization's bona fide religious beliefs and practices.
If the bill is passed, Minor-Brown says it would go in to effect on January 1, 2024.
She says the bill has been assigned to the House Health & Human Development Committee.