January 27, 2023 – The EACH Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Barbara Lee, Diana DeGette, Jan Schakowsky, and Ayanna Pressley. This bill would guarantee that people using Medicaid have coverage for abortion services.
Statement from Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion care was out of reach for many. For decades, anti-abortion members of Congress have unjustly excluded abortion care from federal health care programs. The EACH Act would end this unjust exclusion. It’s long past time for U.S. government policy to align with that of other nations that treat abortion care as health care and a fundamental human right.
We commend Representatives Lee, DeGette, Schakowsky, and Pressley for supporting and continuing to push for this crucial bill.”
About the EACH Act:
For decades, Congress has used the Hyde Amendment to prohibit people enrolled in Medicaid from using their insurance to cover their abortion care. The EACH Act would end the Hyde Amendment and guarantee people using Medicaid have coverage for abortion services.
It also prevents federal legislators from interfering with the private insurance market to prevent insurance companies from providing abortion coverage. Six in ten Americans agree that Medicaid insurance should cover abortion services, just as it covers other pregnancy-related care.
Women with incomes below the federal poverty line have an unintended pregnancy rate more than five times higher—and an abortion rate six times higher—than those of women with higher incomes, according to a new analysis published by the American Bar Association.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person. www.reproductiverights.org