Res. No. 1419

Resolution calling upon Congress to pass and the President to sign, H.R. 771, the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (“EACH Woman”) Act of 2017, which would effectively nullify the Hyde Amendment and require that both public and private health  insurance providers cover abortions

By Council Members Rosenthal, Levin and Constantinides

Whereas, In 1973, the United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade determined that that abortions are legal in the United States; and 

Whereas, Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision both the federal government and state governments have increased restrictions on abortion access and insurance coverage of abortions; and

Whereas, The Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal funds for abortion services unless the mother’s life is at risk or in the case of rape or incest; and

The Hyde Amendment was included in the 1976 Congressional budget package, and has been included in every budget package since; and

Whereas, The Hyde Amendment has restricted women on Medicaid, servicewomen, and certain other public employees from receiving abortion coverage; and

Whereas, The Hyde Amendment unfairly restricts low-income women from receiving public health insurance coverage for an abortion forcing many women to pay out of pocket; and

Whereas, According to the Guttmacher Institute, thirty-two states and the District of Columbia adhere to the Hyde Amendment and only provide coverage for an abortion in the case of life endangerment, rape or incest; and

Whereas, In 2014, three-fourths of abortion patients were low-income and forty-nine percent of abortion patients were living below the federal poverty level; and

Whereas, In 2014, fifty-three percent of women paid for abortions out of pocket; and

Whereas, Low-income women need a considerable amount of time to come up with the money to pay for an abortion and the longer a woman waits the more the procedure costs; and

Whereas, While the Hyde Amendment does not restrict private health coverage of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, twenty-five states have restricted abortion coverage in plans offered through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance market place; and

Whereas, Ten of those states have laws in effect that restrict health insurance coverage of an abortion in all private insurance plans regulated by the state; and

Whereas, These twenty-five states restrict private health insurance coverage of abortion to instances where the mother’s life is in danger, in cases of rape, incest or if there is fetal impairment; and

Whereas, On January 31, 2017, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance ( “EACH Woman”) Act of 2017, which would ensure that public or private health insurance covers an abortion for every woman regardless of her the type of health insurance coverage; and

Whereas, The Each Woman Act of 2017 would ensure that an abortion is covered for participants and beneficiaries in public health insurance programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; and

Whereas, The Each Woman Act of 2017 would ensure that the federal, state, and local governments would not be able to interfere in the insurance coverage of abortions in both public and private insurance; and

Whereas, While the legality of abortions in the United States was determined by the Supreme Court, state and local governments continue to impede women from getting an abortion by restricting the public and private health insurance coverage of abortions; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon Congress to pass and the President to sign , H.R. 771, the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (“EACH Woman”) Act of 2017, which would effectively nullify the Hyde Amendment and require that both public and private health  insurance providers cover abortions.

LS# 8921

ER

3/9/17