Health Department Probes 13 States Over Abortion Coverage Mandates
The US Department of Health and Human Services is investigating 13 states for allegedly violating federal laws that prohibit discrimination against healthcare entities that don't cover abortions.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched an investigation into 13 states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion services. HHS officials stated that the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is looking into these states for allegedly violating the federal Weldon amendment, which prohibits federal funding for programs or state/local governments that "subjects any institutional or individual healthcare entity to discrimination on the basis that the healthcare entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions".
The Weldon amendment was established in 2004 to protect healthcare providers and insurance plans that object to covering or participating in abortions. However, the 13 states under investigation have passed laws mandating that private insurers include abortion coverage in their plans, which could be seen as a violation of the federal conscience protection statute.
Source: The Guardian
