The CEO of the United States’ largest abortion provider is pushing for insurance companies to fund and become advocates for elective abortions.
Alexis McGill Johnson, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, wants insurance firms to include abortion without deductibles in their health plans, she said in a recent interview with MedCity News at the AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) 2023 conference in Portland. A deductible is the amount that an individual pays for their health care services before insurance kicks in.
For instance, a person with an insurance plan having $1,000 in deductible will have to first pay the $1,000 of a medical bill themselves. After that, the insurance companies take on the cost. Most health insurance plans do not cover any elective, or non-emergency, procedures, including abortion.
During a discussion at the conference, Johnson asked for states to extend their Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months. She also questioned whether insurance coverage will be available for over-the-counter birth control pills when they hit the market.
Johnson also called for normalizing the practice of abortion—insisting that it is a “fairly normal medical common experience” that people have to navigate.
Abortion Insurance Coverage
According to the Guttmacher Institute, eight states require abortion coverage in private health insurance plans as of June 1.While 11 states have laws that, in effect, restrict insurance coverage of abortion in all private insurance plans written in the state, 25 states restrict abortion coverage in plans offered through health insurance exchanges.
In 21 states, abortion coverage in health insurance plans is restricted to public employees. Twenty states have one of the above restrictions in effect.
Insurance costs for abortions depend on the duration of pregnancy and the type of abortion. A medical abortion, which terminates a pregnancy within 12 weeks using oral medication, can cost $300 to $700 without any insurance.
A surgical abortion with vacuum aspiration is performed in a clinical setting for up to 16 weeks of pregnancy. Costs can start from $575 without insurance. For surgical abortion by dilation and evacuation that is available for up to 24 weeks’ pregnancy, costs can range from $895 to $3,000.
Defunding Planned Parenthood
In June last year, the Supreme Court handed back to states the right to regulate aspects of abortion that are not codified under federal law, following which several states reimposed stricter rules on such procedures.The reason why the abortion provider called for changes to the Supreme Court is “an attack on our democratic rights and our democratic freedoms,” she said while specifically highlighting the “attack on abortion rights.”
The bill, “Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2023,” has garnered support from organizations like Students for Life of America, Concerned Women for America, and Heritage Action.
“There’s no single entity that stands to make a profit off the violence of abortion more than Planned Parenthood.”
