Obama Administration Policy on Abortion Coverage in High Risk Insurance Pools Harms Women’s Health, Doctors Say

“The Obama administration has taken two steps forward and one step back on women’s health.”

New York, NY—On Thursday, the Obama administration issued a statement blocking high risk insurance pools from covering abortion, except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health issued the following statement from board chair Douglas Laube, MD, MEd:

“By preventing high risk insurance pools from covering abortion, the Obama administration has taken two steps forward and one step back on women’s health. Women with pre-existing conditions will now be able to purchase health insurance, but the available policies will not meet all their needs. Many women entering the high risk pools have underlying medical problems, like cancer and diabetes, that make pregnancy risky. They must have abortion available as a backup if their birth control fails, or if a planned pregnancy unexpectedly threatens their health, as happened to me when a kidney transplant patient experienced dangerously high blood pressure in her third month of pregnancy.

“There is no federal policy that bars high risk pools from covering abortion. By issuing this statement, the Obama administration has effectively applied the Stupak ban to the high risk insurance pools. Women won’t even have the option of paying for abortion coverage with their own money. In other words, they cannot buy insurance that meets all their health needs. We hope the administration will reconsider this policy and put women’s health above politics.”

PHYSICIANS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT

Contact: Amanda Davis; 646-649-9927; 646-334-1388 (cell); amanda@prch.org

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Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health is a doctor-led national advocacy organization. We use evidence-based medicine to promote sound reproductive health policies. We believe in reproductive choice for everyone.