Private health insurance companies in Colorado will be required to fully cover abortion services starting in January 2025 under a law passed by the Colorado Legislature in 2023.
Senate Bill 23-189 Colorado Governor Jared Polis will require private health insurance plans to fully cover abortion costs starting in 2025 signed the bill into law As part of an abortion-related protection package.
The law also requires insurance plans to cover medical abortion, contraception, vasectomies, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without out-of-pocket costs. There are exceptions for employers where abortion violates religious beliefs. The law also included an exception for government employers, but that could change depending on the results of Colorado voters. Approval of Amendment No. 79This would enshrine the right to abortion in Colorado’s constitution and allow state and local employers to pay for abortion care.
The amendment would not affect the law’s implementation in 2023, but abortion rights advocates hope the Colorado Legislature will pass legislation mandating similar coverage for public employees and Medicaid recipients when the General Assembly convenes next year. I hope.
Kyra Hutton Sena, policy director for Cobalt, a Colorado-based reproductive rights organization, said there is no other medical procedure that insurance companies won’t cover “based solely on ideological means” and that SB-189 The requirement shows that “reproductive health care is medical care.” ”
“Everyone should have access to the full range of reproductive health care, and what this actually does is level the playing field so that reproductive health care is not just for the rich and the wealthy. ” said Hutton-Sena.
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State Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation would fill gaps related to access not only to abortion, but also to treatment for sexually transmitted infections and family planning.
“We feel strongly that reproductive health care is an integral part of primary and preventive care,” Cutter said. “That is out of reach for many Coloradans, and this bill aims to address exactly that.”
Jack Teter, regional director of government affairs for the Family Planning System of the Rockies, said the law also provides that a deductible does not have to be met to cover abortion care. He estimates that more than 1 million Coloradans will now have full abortion coverage under the new law.
“Many people go a year without meeting their deductible, so while in theory many people may have insurance for abortion care, in reality that coverage is not applicable. That would have been very unlikely,” Teter said.
All insurance plans regulated by the Colorado Department of Insurance fully cover abortion. The bill included language that would require states to purchase individual and small group insurance policies that cover abortions as long as they have federal approval. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gave the state that approval in July.
Teter said the new policy would not apply to people who work for large corporations because they may have federally regulated health insurance. If regulated by the state, the health insurance card should say “CODOI,” Teter said.
“It’s not something people plan.”
State Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat and another SB-189 sponsor, said it’s important that people no longer have to purchase an additional rider if they want their health insurance to cover abortions.
“Would anyone look at their insurance and say, ‘Oh, I might have an abortion, let’s get an abortion rider,'” Garcia said. “Nobody does that because it’s not something people plan on. This is a big difference because abortion care is something that many people end up needing…someone who’s going to have a heart attack… It’s like having a heart attack sometimes when you’re not there.”
“We are excited that reducing financial barriers to abortion care is finally on the horizon,” Garcia added.
Teter said that by 2024, 93% of patients served by PPRM in Colorado paid for their abortions out of pocket, even though PPRM accepts most insurance companies. This includes people whose insurance does not cover abortion, public servants whose insurance does not cover abortion, and people who do not have health insurance.
“Availability of insurance affects many of our patients, especially those who have to worry about making ends meet, choosing between groceries or rent, and deciding between accessing the care they need. “This will be a game changer for patients,” Teter said. “We pay premiums every month and rely on insurance to support us when we need medical care.”
Insurance coverage for abortion care also means fewer people need financial assistance to obtain an abortion, so the Abortion Fund will be available to those traveling from out of state and those without insurance. Teter said more funds could be directed to
The ban on public funding for abortion has been removed.
Teter said the PPRM’s top priority for Congress in 2025 is to implement coverage for Medicaid recipients and public employees.
Garcia said he “absolutely” expects Congress to move forward with such legislation as part of implementing Amendment 79 in 2025.
Hutton Senna said the earliest it would be reported to the public would be July 1, 2025, but said it could take longer given the circumstances. tight budget The state plans to take action next year.
Hutton Senna said: “I know we’re in a tough budget year and I think we have to accept that while it may be necessary to spread the budget over two years, it’s definitely not necessary to go beyond that.” said. “I think it should be a priority for the Legislature because it was clear that the voters wanted this.”
Republican President-elect Donald Trump said during his campaign that he did not support a federal ban on abortion, but given the anti-abortion Republican Party’s anti-abortion triple threat in Washington, D.C., there are concerns that his administration will move toward abortion. There are still concerns about how to target access. activist group It wants to significantly expand restrictions on reproductive health care while eliminating other federal and state protections.
Colorado has a constitutional right to abortion, but a federal abortion ban would override the state’s protections.
“There are a lot of scary ways they could approach the question of how they want to use the federal government to limit or ban access to abortion care,” Teter said of the incoming Trump administration.
Hutton-Sena said there is no way to predict what President Trump and the federal government will do, but access to abortion He was “very popular across the country” in the election.
“I say bring it on,” Garcia said.
Cutter said Colorado officials “remain committed to protecting access” to abortion in the state.
“It’s a personal freedom,” she said. “Protecting access to reproductive health care, especially abortion care, saves lives.”
This article originally appeared in Colorado Newsline, a sister publication of The Florida Phoenix.
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