House Democrats are expected to introduce a mostly symbolic bill Thursday that would target the Hyde Amendment and allow federal funds to be used for abortions.
Abortion rights supporters say such funding is needed to ensure that low-income people and people of color are able to access abortions. The bill's prospects in the GOP-controlled House are nearly nonexistent, however.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., House Pro-Choice Caucus co-chair, is introducing the bill and told Axios that, if it's enacted, "low income people, who are primarily Black and brown, would have the same access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, including abortion care."
According to data from Planned Parenthood, a first trimester abortion performed at a clinic can cost up to $800, while later in-clinic abortions can range from $715 earlier in the second trimester to up to $2,000 later in the second trimester.
The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act (EACH Act) would repeal the Hyde Amendment and guarantee that abortion services would be covered by federal health insurance plans.
Named after its original congressional sponsor, then-Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., the amendment prohibits the use of Medicaid and other federally administered health program funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or threat of death of the mother.
The Hyde Amendment has been included in annual government funding bills since its introduction in the 1970s, even when Democrats controlled the House.
In addition to mandating that federal health insurance plans cover abortion, the EACH Act would also bar the federal government from restricting or prohibiting abortion services by private health insurance plans.
Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in June, several companies have offered expanded health and travel benefits to allow their employees to access abortion.
House Republicans have introduced at least 11 anti-abortion bills since gaining control of the chamber this month, including a bill from Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., that would ban the use of federal funds to cover abortions or for health coverage that includes abortion.
"In their first few days in the majority, House Republicans have wasted no time in pushing their dangerous anti-abortion and anti-woman agenda, advancing harmful legislation that spreads misinformation and further limits access to abortion care," Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., told Axios in a statement.
Lee, who is gearing up for a Senate run in 2024, told Axios she plans to keep reintroducing the EACH Act.
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