OLYMPIA — The Washington Senate passed a bill Tuesday preventing Washingtonians from paying out-of-pocket costs for abortions, one of a slate of proposals to ease abortion access in the state after the fall of Roe v. Wade.
The bill would prohibit copays for abortions under private insurance plans regulated by the state and Washington public employee plans. Patients wouldn’t have to meet their deductible to have the cost of the procedure covered by insurance.
In Washington, abortion is legal up until viability — around 23-24 weeks of pregnancy — or to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.
Supporters say the measure would make it less expensive for patients to have an abortion.
In Washington, insurance plans that cover maternity services must also cover abortion, but Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, sponsor of Senate Bill 5242, said that out-of-pocket costs can be a “tremendous burden” on patients.
“This bill aims to eliminate that burden by eliminating those costs, as often, those costs worsen racial and socioeconomic disparities,” Cleveland said in a speech before the Senate voted to pass the bill.
During testimony last month, Nicole Kern, government relations manager for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Washington, said the average cost of an abortion for a patient is $218. But costs can range from $15 to hundreds of dollars, climbing further along in a pregnancy, she said.
“As states across the country enact cruel restrictions and outright bans, we urge Washington state to ensure that they are leaders in providing access to abortion care and to make sure that no patient is prohibited from their care due to their health care coverage,” Kern told the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 13.
The bill faced opposition from people who said they didn’t support public funds going toward abortions. According to a legislative analysis, the measure would cost about $150,000 to $300,000 annually for Washington public employee health plans.
“You’re asking those of us who have profound philosophical and other views concerning this procedure to pay for this for other people,” Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, said on the Senate floor before the vote Tuesday. “And we have high access in this state. … I think this bill is simply advancing a pro-abortion agenda.”
Julie Barrett, founder of Conservative Ladies of Washington, told lawmakers on the Senate Ways and Means Committee that “elimination of cost sharing does not mean elimination of costs.”
However, the potential impact on insurance premiums is not clear. Erin Hut, a spokesperson for Cleveland, said in an email there is no requirement for a fiscal analysis of nonstate costs when the Legislature passes bills.
Residents on Medicaid don’t have copays, so the bill that passed Tuesday wouldn’t change that. And the state already covers the costs of abortions for those Washingtonians, since the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal money from being spent on abortions, with some exceptions.
