[ad_1]
For a decade, Virginia banned private state health insurance plans from covering abortions, with almost no exceptions. The State Senate has just removed this ban.
In recent years, Virginia has been an inspiring example of the importance of the vote. Long considered a conservative state, over the past 10 years Virginia has gone from red to purple to blue at an astonishing rate.
Now we are seeing the results. Virginia made it clear that the election was important in January 2020, when the state House and Senate voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the 38th and last state needed to do so.
But reproductive rights have always been a more controversial topic than ERA. For the past decade in Virginia, private health care plans offered on the state health insurance exchange have been banned from covering almost all abortions. As a result, most health insurance plans could not cover abortions except in extreme circumstances, and an estimated 240,000 Virginians were forced to rely on healthcare companies that denied them all of their choices. in reproductive matters.
But last month, the state Senate voted 20-17, and the House 55-45 — both votes depending on the party — to end the ban. The new bill, now led by Governor Ralph Northam, will remove the state code’s abortion ban, allowing health insurance companies to choose to cover abortion.
If you have found this article helpful, please consider supporting our Independent Reports and Truth Disclosures for as little as $ 5 per month.
While it’s still not a perfect system – insurance plans aren’t required to offer abortion coverage, and federal grants can’t be used to cover abortions, thanks to the Hyde Amendment – it is a huge step forward in de-stigmatizing abortion care and providing financial support for those seeking an abortion.
When Governor Northam signs the bill, as he should, Virginia will be the first southern state to lift the ban on the state-run health scholarship offering abortion coverage. It’s an important sign that Virginia lawmakers are committed to ensuring equitable access – and not just the legal right – to abortion.
And the bill is even more essential, given the dire economic situation in the country. During COVID-19, low-income women, single mothers and women of color are disproportionately affected by layoffs, forced out of the workforce en masse to care for their children, and face severe economic crises. Requiring women to pay out of pocket for abortion care adds an unnecessary and unfair burden. In Virginia, a medical abortion costs around $ 450, and a surgical abortion can easily exceed $ 1,000. It’s prohibitive for many women, even without the added financial stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virginia’s recent progress toward providing reproductive health care demonstrates the importance of paying attention not only to federal policies, but also state and local laws. Now more than ever, it is time to take note and celebrate state legislatures taking action to create equal access to abortion, and to continue to advocate for policies that protect our right to health care. affordable and accessible.
You may also like:
If you have found this article helpful, please consider supporting our Independent Reports and Truth Disclosures for as little as $ 5 per month.
[ad_2]
