Is Abortion Covered by Health Insurance?

Health insurance policies cover many women's health services; however, abortion coverage can vary based on your health plan. Furthermore, depending on the state that you live in, there may be laws that regulate whether abortion services are covered through Obamacare health insurance, Medicaid or under a private health care policy. Although there are coverage differences, every state does allow you some access to abortion, but you may need to pay for the service out-of-pocket.

Does my health insurance cover abortion?

The main factor that will determine if your health insurance covers abortion is the laws your state has passed. For example, in Texas, all health insurance policies are prohibited from covering abortion services. But in Colorado, only people who use Medicaid are not covered. In the table below, you can find your state along with whether there are certain health insurance types that will have abortion restrictions. The checkmark will indicate if that state has any laws in that health insurance category.

As you can see, the majority of states restrict abortion services in some way. For the states that have enacted restrictive laws — either through Medicaid, marketplace or employer coverage — abortion health insurance coverage will be provided if the life of the pregnant woman is endangered.

If a state has no limitations on abortions, no matter where you receive your health insurance from — Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare or employer sponsored — you would be able to use your health coverage for an abortion. For example, say you are currently on Medicaid in Connecticut. If you needed an abortion, you could go to a Planned Parenthood center or another clinic, present your Medicaid card and receive the necessary care at a reduced price, which would show up on your health insurance.

How expensive is an abortion?

The cost of an abortion will vary greatly depending on the type of abortion that you receive, which is based on how far along you are in your pregnancy. And though you can get an abortion without health insurance, it will cost significantly more money.

The most common form of abortion is a medical abortion. This is typically administered by ingesting a pill. Known as the abortion pill, it can cost anywhere from $300 to $700 without insurance, depending on where you receive care. However, this form of abortion is only effective during the first 10 weeks of your pregnancy. The abortion pill is covered by insurance if your state allows for the procedure.

After the initial 10 weeks, you would need to have a surgical abortion, which can be slightly more expensive. Typically, a surgical abortion can cost anywhere between $800 and over $3,000 for later pregnancies without health insurance.

How are abortions paid for?

In states that have limited health insurance, abortion services are paid for and subsidized by using taxpayer money. Under the Hyde Amendment, states are allowed to pass their own laws to determine how they want to allocate funds for health insurance services. Due to this ruling, many states' health insurance policies, including Medicaid and Obamacare plans, do not offer elective abortion services, as they refuse to put federal dollars toward funding abortion. However, in some cases, an abortion would be covered if the pregnancy endangers the health of the mother or is due to rape or incest.