Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires health plans to cover abortions, effective January 1, 2014.

Highlights:

• Requires health plans that provide coverage for maternity care to provide coverage for abortion services for all plans renewed or issued on or after January 1, 2014 (Sec. 1). 

• Prohibits a health plan from limiting an individual’s access to lawful, voluntary abortion services (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes individual health care providers, religiously sponsored health carriers, or health care facilities to refuse to provide or pay for a service based on moral and religious grounds (Sec. 1). 

• Requires health carriers to provide a written notice to individuals upon enrollment that the carrier refuses to cover abortion services for moral or religious objections and provide information on how the individual can access those services (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that this bill does not apply to a multi-state plan that does not provide coverage for abortions (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that if any section of this bill results in noncompliance with requirements for the allocation of federal funds to the state, the section will be declared inapplicable to the minimum extent necessary for the state to be in compliance (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text