Essay
Bill HF4053 Essay
My bill, known as the required health plan coverage of abortion and abortion services, would greatly impact and improve health for women residing in Minnesota. The main reason being that it would be very helpful for said women. This bill would benefit thousands of people living in Minnesota who are in need of abortion care. According to the National Women’s Law Center, One in four women carry out unwanted pregnancies to term. Most of those women are being constricted by both the abortion ban and their financial situations.
Unlike other states, we do not have an abortion ban that completely outlaws abortions, but due to them not being covered by medicaid or any other form of insurance, some women aren’t able to afford abortion services. If they are having a difficult pregnancy, the delay of having an abortion could cause complications that could start impacting the woman’s health. Without access to the right care, women are more likely to try methods that are unsafe and potentially lethal.
It is no secret that abortion is costly, the average one in Minnesota being $500 to $600 in the first ten weeks but past that the price is raised to anywhere between $500 and $3,000. If the pregnancy is unexpected, most women will be underprepared to pay that amount, their jobs may be too heavy for their state during pregnancy. Aside from that many women have a hard time even getting a job or keeping one as a woman who is denied abortion is three times more likely to be unemployed. The strain of financial instability does not solely land on the state but it should be considered in terms of the health of their residents. Abortions are medical procedures just as MRI’s are.
If women already have insurance for their primary health, it should cover their reproductive health as well. Just as it provides coverage for their ultrasounds during pregnancy. Other states provide coverage for abortions through insurance, therefore securing the wellbeing of their residents. There are many people who struggle to make ends meet, especially those who are less fortunate, young women, and people of color. If a woman is all three of those, is she expected to carry out a pregnancy with complications if she doesn't have the adequate funds for an abortion? The inequities fall upon those women, it would be unfair to have a woman who already pays for her insurance to not have her own health be prioritized and covered just because it’s in relation to abortion services.
The trial of Maher V Roe of 1979 permitted states to exclude abortion coverage in medicare, in addition to that, the ACA, Affordable Care Act, does allow states to deny the coverage of abortion provided by insurance. Though not all states follow through with the denial. In the U.S., 6 states require almost all private insurance to cover abortions and 16 states use their own funds to make sure women are enrolled with Medicaid. The states that deny the coverage are those that either have completely banned abortions or the ones that follow the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde amendment bans the use of federal funds to allow an abortion if it is not caused by incest or rape.
If this Bill is passed, many women will be able to have more autonomy over their own bodies and their lives. Political interference has already gotten in the way of that as women who are denied abortions or are unable to pay for them are more likely to continue to stay in an abusive relationship. One in three women in the U.S. are currently in abusive relationships, if they do not get an abortion for an unwanted pregnancy, they could be trapped with their abuser. Of course that isn’t the case for every pregnancy, but it is one that should be considered. If the ACA is committed to helping people get coverage and securing changes to improve things moving forward, why aren’t we as a state trying to better the lives of so many women.
References
“Abortion Services - HealthCare.gov Glossary.” HealthCare.gov, www.healthcare.gov/glossary/abortion-services/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
American Medical Association. “Understanding the Affordable Care Act.” American Medical Association, 7 June 2024, www.ama-assn.org/health-care-advocacy/access-care/understanding-affordable-care-act. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Brennan Center for Justice. “Roe v. Wade and Supreme Court Abortion Cases.” Www.brennancenter.org, Brennan Center for Justice, 28 Sept. 2022, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/roe-v-wade-and-supreme-court-abortion-cases. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
National Domestic Violence Hotline. “Domestic Violence Statistics.” The Hotline, National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2024, www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
“States Banning or Providing Insurance Coverage of Abortion Can Determine a Persons Health and Future.” National Women’s Law Center, 1 May 2021, nwlc.org/resource/states-banning-or-providing-insurance-coverage-of-abortion-can-determine-a-persons-health-and-future/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.