State says it will implement restrictions on Medicaid funding for abortions
A new state health department rule will add red-tape for Montanans seeking to use their Medicaid benefits to cover abortions, a long-debated policy the state’s Republican administration has said is a proper and legal restriction on state funds.
The proposed rule to tighten reporting standards and require pre-authorization for coverage was first introduced near the end of December. Abortion rights advocates, medical providers and Medicaid recipients have protested the change, arguing that the state’s current policy for covering medically necessary abortions helps maintain health care access for low-income Montanans.
While the Hyde Amendment prohibits use of federal funds for abortion except in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, states may set their own policies on how to use state dollars for abortion. Montana and several other states have for years used their Medicaid programs to cover abortion in more ways than what’s allowed by the federal standards.
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The Montana Sexual and Reproductive Health Collective, a group of abortion clinic providers and community organizers, criticized the department’s decision in a Wednesday statement.
“Patients and their medical providers should not have to jump through unnecessary, burdensome hoops in order to prove to bureaucrats why they need access to safe abortion care,” said Hillary-Anne Crosby, a community engagement advocate with the group. “We are disappointed that the DPHHS has chosen to pursue this path despite the immense opposition from those enrolled in Medicaid, health care providers, and others, and we will continue to fight for all Montanans’ constitutional right to abortion.”
Planned Parenthood of Montana CEO Martha Fuller echoed those concerns in response to the health agency’s policy change, saying the policy will increase hurdles for patients.
“Access to Medicaid coverage for abortion, with minimal barriers, is critical for Montanans with low incomes. The amendment to the Medicaid rules would exacerbate economic distress and harm Montana families by forcing Medicaid recipients to delay care, or carry pregnancies to term against their will,” Fuller said.