In early September, Gov. John Carney quietly signed House Bill 110 into law, requiring all health benefit plans delivered or issued for Medicaid, private health insurance plans and state employee insurance plans to cover abortion in Delaware.
Friday, legislative leaders and women’s reproductive health advocates gathered to celebrate the landmark piece of legislation, making Delaware only the fifth state to require private insurers to cover termination of pregnancies and the 18th state requiring Medicaid to do the same.
The bill is one of many passed in the General Assembly this year to expand women’s access to reproductive healthcare, which Stacey Hassel of Planned Parenthood of Delaware explains women are often paying for out of pocket.
“At Planned Parenthood, one in four patients is a Medicaid recipient. Of our patients, well over a third use self pay because they are under or uninsured," Hassel said.
In their last fiscal year, 50% of Delaware Planned Parenthood’s self-pay patients reported incomes below 250% of the Federal Poverty Line, many of which would have qualified for Medicaid coverage.
“While federal law has played a role in limiting the coverage for abortion in our state, it's clear time and time again that insurers simply do not voluntarily cover women's health care the way they do for others, and it severely hinders access and affordability," said Delaware Department of Insurance Senior Advisor Chris Haas.
She says in addition to this new law, there have been recent changes requiring the coverage of fertility services, breast exams and cancer care, ovarian cancer screening as well doula services.
"As a lawmaker and as a nurse, I know what's at stake, and I know what it means for a woman to have access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care, and I'm so proud that as a state, we have taken steps to ensure that we're protecting women in our state and we're protecting providers in our state," said the bill's sponsor House Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown (D-New Castle).
The new law takes effect for Medicaid and the state employee health plans Jan. 1, 2025. For group and individual insurers, it takes effect after Dec. 31, 2025, but any are welcome to opt-in earlier.
