Latest news with #BaltimoreAbortionFund
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
US abortion clinics are closing even in states where abortion is legal. More cuts could be coming.
'I honestly don't know if it's a sustainable model,' said Mercedes Sanchez, executive director at the Cedar River Clinics in Washington. 'Clinics, providers, funds are all very committed to making sure people can access care, but it is definitely going to be more of a challenge.' Advertisement Bans in some states mean travel has become a bigger part of obtaining an abortion, bring a host of costs. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A mitigating factor is that most abortions are now done with medications. They can be prescribed by telehealth, including to women in states where abortion is banned. But they can't be used in every case, some women prefer procedures, and there are challenges to the legality of pills and how they're prescribed. Abortion isn't funded like other health care Not all private insurance plans cover abortions. Federal taxpayer funds cannot be used for abortions, but state Medicaid funds cover them in some places. And a network of private funding helps cover procedures or travel and other costs. The increase in contributions that followed the 2022 Supreme Court ruling has declined for most funds and clinics. 'The resources have not kept pace with demand continuing to surge,' Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of the Baltimore Abortion Fund. Advertisement With bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy now being enforced in 12 states and bans at about six weeks' gestation being enforced in four others, travel for abortion has become more frequent. Costs for each trip can include plane tickets or gas for long drives, meals, hotels and child care — all on top of clinic fees. Last year, the National Abortion Federation's hotline fund reduced the portion of clinic costs it covers for people with financial needs to 30% from 50% so it could help more people as demand increased. The group's says travel costs now average over $1,000 per person. Travel needs have made the job for abortion funds not only more expensive but more intricate. Before the Texas ban started in 2021, Fund Texas Choice got about 40 calls a month, executive director Anna Rupani said. Now, it's over 200. And assisting each caller can take more time because they involve arranging flights and hotels, not just lining up rides to clinics in the state. Some people cobble together money from a hodgepodge of groups to pay for an abortion. Grace McGarry, who manages the phone line for Whole Woman's Health, which operates five clinics across the U.S., said he talked to a patient who was getting aid from nine different groups. Clinics have closed, even in states without new bans Since the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, I Need An A, which operates a website dedicated to providing information about abortion options, has tallied 105 clinics closing. Twenty-nine closures were in states where abortion is now banned at all stages of pregnancy. Eleven were in states where it's banned at about six weeks' gestation, before many women realize they're pregnant. But 65 of the closures were in other states. Advertisement At the same time, 34 clinics have opened anew or moved to states where abortion is legal. 'Each and every one of those has been a blow to that community that hasn't been refilled,' said Rebecca Nall, the founder of I Need An A. Planned Parenthood North Central States announced in May that it would close eight locations in Iowa and Minnesota while expanding services at some other clinics. Ruth Richardson, the CEO of that Planned Parenthood affiliate, said the reorganization recognizes that the number of abortions in Iowa plummeted after the state started enforcing its strict abortion law. It also reflects that the regional group's overall budget is down. 'We've got the compounded challenges of the fact that sexual and reproductive health care has been politicized in this environment,' she said. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the closures are warranted: 'Planned Parenthood's focus is squarely on abortions, gender transitions and political spending.' The federal government has moved to cut funding for clinics In March, the Department of Health and Human Services withheld $27.5 million that groups were expecting to provide family planning, contraception, cancer screening and sexually transmitted infection tests and treatment. Some of the groups also provide abortions and include at least 11 regional Planned Parenthood affiliates. 'We're absolutely in a public health crisis of epic proportions,' said Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. 'We're in a situation where there are reproductive health care deserts, not just abortion care deserts.' President Donald Trump's tax and budget bill that is up for consideration in the Senate after getting House approval would deliver more blows to abortion funding. Advertisement It would bar federally subsidized health insurance plans from covering abortion, except if it's necessary to save the life of the woman, or in cases of rape or incest. The bill also would bar Medicaid funds from flowing to Planned Parenthood, the nation's biggest abortion provider. Planned Parenthood said those provisions could lead to the closures of about half its clinics that provide abortion —- and about one-fourth of abortion clinics nationwide. The biggest impact on affiliate clinics would be in states where abortion is legal. Alexis McGill-Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said it's almost been a challenge to fund abortion — and all health care — for low-income people. 'If the market could have figured it out,' she said, 'then we wouldn't exist.'
13-05-2025
- Health
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill to tap unused ACA insurance funds for abortion grant program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Maryland will become the first state to use money collected from a surcharge on insurance plans sold under the Affordable Care Act to fund a program to pay for abortions, regardless of a patient's insurance coverage, under a measure signed into law Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. The law will make about $25 million available when it takes effect July 1, because a $1 surcharge has been unused and growing over the last 15 years since the ACA took effect in 2010. It's estimated to make about $3 million available annually in future years. 'The lieutenant governor and I were very clear from Day 1 — that Maryland will always be a safe haven for abortion access,' Moore said, highlighting the measure among SOME 170 bills signed at a ceremony. The program will be paid for through the transfer of certain insurance premium funds collected by carriers that can only be used for abortion coverage in accordance with the ACA. Supporters say other states have access to a similar surplus of funds through their state exchange insurance systems. 'If programs like ours are duplicated across the country, we could help millions of Americans access essential abortion care — without relying on taxpayer dollars,' said Del. Lesley Lopez, a Democrat from Maryland's Montgomery County, in the suburbs of the nation's capital. Officials in New York and Illinois already have reached out to Maryland officials to learn more about the program, said Lopez, who sponsored the bill. A dozen states require abortion coverage in ACA marketplace plans, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. They are California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. 'This money exists in every state that has abortion as a required type of care under their state's benefit exchanges," Lopez said. "It's basically all the blue states that mandated abortion be covered when the Affordable Care Act was starting to be implemented.' The law creates a grant program fund in the state's health department to improve access to abortion clinical services. It requires the department to award grants to nonprofit organizations to support equitable access. Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of the Baltimore Abortion Fund, which helps pay costs associated with abortion for people who live in Maryland or who travel there, said it's hard to keep up with an annual budget of about $2 million. 'We would need many, many more times over that to fully be able to meet the full logistic and medical support for each caller,' she said. She said the $3 million that would be made available annually under the new law could make a major difference. The fund could apply to administer a share of that money. 'The $3 million is a great start, but it will take more than that and it will take sustained funding,' she said. Maryland's legislature is controlled by Democrats, who hold a 2-1 advantage over Republicans in voter registration statewide. Last year, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment with 76% support to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution, in response to the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court's decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization gave control over abortion to the states. 'I think before the Dobbs decision, there just wasn't quite the same type of urgency as there is now," Lopez said. "We've seen abortion bans in some form or another in double digits in states across the country, so we've got to make sure that we shore up all the support we can in a state like Maryland that has it as a constitutionally protected right.' Twelve states currently enforce abortion bans with limited exceptions at all stages of pregnancy. Four more have bans that kick in after about six weeks, which is before many women know they're pregnant. The Dobb decision and an influx of people from other states seeking abortions in Maryland has made the financial need more urgent, supporters of the law say. Maryland has been seeing an increase in patients from other states where abortion has been banned. Last year, 15% of abortions in Maryland were obtained by patients from other states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That's a decrease from 20% in 2023.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill to tap unused ACA insurance funds for abortion grant program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland will become the first state to use money collected from a surcharge on insurance plans sold under the Affordable Care Act to fund a program to pay for abortions, regardless of a patient's insurance coverage, under a measure signed into law Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. The law will make about $25 million available when it takes effect July 1, because a $1 surcharge has been unused and growing over the last 15 years since the ACA took effect in 2010. It's estimated to make about $3 million available annually in future years. 'The lieutenant governor and I were very clear from Day 1 — that Maryland will always be a safe haven for abortion access,' Moore said, highlighting the measure among SOME 170 bills signed at a ceremony. The program will be paid for through the transfer of certain insurance premium funds collected by carriers that can only be used for abortion coverage in accordance with the ACA. Supporters say other states have access to a similar surplus of funds through their state exchange insurance systems. 'If programs like ours are duplicated across the country, we could help millions of Americans access essential abortion care — without relying on taxpayer dollars,' said Del. Lesley Lopez, a Democrat from Maryland's Montgomery County, in the suburbs of the nation's capital. Officials in New York and Illinois already have reached out to Maryland officials to learn more about the program, said Lopez, who sponsored the bill. A dozen states require abortion coverage in ACA marketplace plans, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. They are California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. 'This money exists in every state that has abortion as a required type of care under their state's benefit exchanges," Lopez said. "It's basically all the blue states that mandated abortion be covered when the Affordable Care Act was starting to be implemented.' The law creates a grant program fund in the state's health department to improve access to abortion clinical services. It requires the department to award grants to nonprofit organizations to support equitable access. Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of the Baltimore Abortion Fund, which helps pay costs associated with abortion for people who live in Maryland or who travel there, said it's hard to keep up with an annual budget of about $2 million. 'We would need many, many more times over that to fully be able to meet the full logistic and medical support for each caller,' she said. She said the $3 million that would be made available annually under the new law could make a major difference. The fund could apply to administer a share of that money. 'The $3 million is a great start, but it will take more than that and it will take sustained funding,' she said. Maryland's legislature is controlled by Democrats, who hold a 2-1 advantage over Republicans in voter registration statewide. Last year, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment with 76% support to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution, in response to the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court's decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization gave control over abortion to the states. 'I think before the Dobbs decision, there just wasn't quite the same type of urgency as there is now," Lopez said. "We've seen abortion bans in some form or another in double digits in states across the country, so we've got to make sure that we shore up all the support we can in a state like Maryland that has it as a constitutionally protected right.' Twelve states currently enforce abortion bans with limited exceptions at all stages of pregnancy. Four more have bans that kick in after about six weeks, which is before many women know they're pregnant. The Dobb decision and an influx of people from other states seeking abortions in Maryland has made the financial need more urgent, supporters of the law say. Maryland has been seeing an increase in patients from other states where abortion has been banned. Last year, 15% of abortions in Maryland were obtained by patients from other states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That's a decrease from 20% in 2023. ___ Associated Press journalist Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill to tap unused ACA insurance funds for abortion grant program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland will become the first state to use money collected from a surcharge on insurance plans sold under the Affordable Care Act to fund a program to pay for abortions, regardless of a patient's insurance coverage, under a measure signed into law Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. The law will make about $25 million available when it takes effect July 1, because a $1 surcharge has been unused and growing over the last 15 years since the ACA took effect in 2010. It's estimated to make about $3 million available annually in future years. 'The lieutenant governor and I were very clear from Day 1 — that Maryland will always be a safe haven for abortion access,' Moore said, highlighting the measure among SOME 170 bills signed at a ceremony. The program will be paid for through the transfer of certain insurance premium funds collected by carriers that can only be used for abortion coverage in accordance with the ACA. Supporters say other states have access to a similar surplus of funds through their state exchange insurance systems. 'If programs like ours are duplicated across the country, we could help millions of Americans access essential abortion care — without relying on taxpayer dollars,' said Del. Lesley Lopez, a Democrat from Maryland's Montgomery County, in the suburbs of the nation's capital. Officials in New York and Illinois already have reached out to Maryland officials to learn more about the program, said Lopez, who sponsored the bill. A dozen states require abortion coverage in ACA marketplace plans, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. They are California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. 'This money exists in every state that has abortion as a required type of care under their state's benefit exchanges,' Lopez said. 'It's basically all the blue states that mandated abortion be covered when the Affordable Care Act was starting to be implemented.' The law creates a grant program fund in the state's health department to improve access to abortion clinical services. It requires the department to award grants to nonprofit organizations to support equitable access. Lynn McCann-Yeh, co-executive director of the Baltimore Abortion Fund, which helps pay costs associated with abortion for people who live in Maryland or who travel there, said it's hard to keep up with an annual budget of about $2 million. 'We would need many, many more times over that to fully be able to meet the full logistic and medical support for each caller,' she said. She said the $3 million that would be made available annually under the new law could make a major difference. The fund could apply to administer a share of that money. 'The $3 million is a great start, but it will take more than that and it will take sustained funding,' she said. Maryland's legislature is controlled by Democrats, who hold a 2-1 advantage over Republicans in voter registration statewide. Last year, Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment with 76% support to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution, in response to the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court's decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization gave control over abortion to the states. 'I think before the Dobbs decision, there just wasn't quite the same type of urgency as there is now,' Lopez said. 'We've seen abortion bans in some form or another in double digits in states across the country, so we've got to make sure that we shore up all the support we can in a state like Maryland that has it as a constitutionally protected right.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Twelve states currently enforce abortion bans with limited exceptions at all stages of pregnancy. Four more have bans that kick in after about six weeks, which is before many women know they're pregnant. The Dobb decision and an influx of people from other states seeking abortions in Maryland has made the financial need more urgent, supporters of the law say. Maryland has been seeing an increase in patients from other states where abortion has been banned. Last year, 15% of abortions in Maryland were obtained by patients from other states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. That's a decrease from 20% in 2023. ___ Associated Press journalist Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this report from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
