Health insurance; removes prohibition on provision of abortion coverage. (SB183)
Introduced By
Sen. Don McEachin (D-Richmond)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Essential health benefits; abortion coverage. Removes the prohibition on the provision of coverage for abortions in any qualified health insurance plan that is sold or offered for sale through a health benefits exchange established or operating in Virginia. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/04/2016 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/16 16102713D |
| 01/04/2016 | Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor |
| 01/13/2016 | Impact statement from VDH (SB183) |
| 02/01/2016 | Passed by indefinitely in Commerce and Labor (10-Y 4-N) (see vote tally) |
Comments
The ACLU of Virginia supports this bill because it repeals a 2013 amendment by Governor McDonnell to HB1900 that prohibits insurance policies offered in the health exchange from covering abortion. It’s wrong for politicians to take away insurance coverage for a legal medical procedure. Since insurance companies are willing to provide coverage, politicians shouldn’t interfere. Politicians should not be able to stop private insurance companies that want to cover abortion from doing so. We may not all feel the same way about abortion, but we should all agree that a woman who decides she needs an abortion deserves access to safe and legal medical care. A woman and her doctor should decide what care she needs, not politicians.
The ACLU of Virginia supports this bill because it repeals a 2013 amendment by Governor McDonnell to HB1900 that prohibits insurance policies offered in the health exchange from covering abortion. It’s wrong for politicians to take away insurance coverage for a legal medical procedure. Since insurance companies are willing to provide coverage, politicians shouldn’t interfere. Politicians should not be able to stop private insurance companies that want to cover abortion from doing so. We may not all feel the same way about abortion, but we should all agree that a woman who decides she needs an abortion deserves access to safe and legal medical care. A woman and her doctor should decide what care she needs, not politicians.
I support this bill, a woman's reproductive choices should be made without political or religious interference. If insurance policies offer this coverage a woman should be free to accept and use it. Every child should be a wanted child, every child should be a loved child. If the state truly wants to help children, they should stop trying to force every woman who gets pregnant to have the child... Not every woman is cut out to be a mother or stable enough to be a mother. Not every woman wants to be a mother. Not every woman SHOULD be a mother. A woman forced to have a child for any reason, be it financial, coercion, lack of access ect. will rarely love and desire the child. I wish people would consider the quality of life many of these children will have when they try to force their views on others. I can say from personal experience that being an unwanted child is a horrible thing, leaving one open to abuse, neglect, hatred, resentment... very few children who live such lives grow up to fulfill their potential, and many simply become a danger to society. Please, care enough to want every child to have a good life, not just enough to live... no political or moral smokescreen is worth the suffering these children will endure.