Insurance

Among the most cumbersome hindrances in the argument of making health insurance more affordable & accessible is a huge plain question that will drive people to think. - What consequence will the health care reform law have on the prevalence of abortion? The latest incident in Massachusetts hints that coverage by universal health care is related to the lessening of the incidence of abortion.

The present legislation limits federal funding for abortion to cases of incest, rape or when the existence of the mother is in danger. The Hyde Amendment, a clause for appropriating the budget, governs all these, which is being sanctioned by the congress every year since 1976.

Beneath the resistance to government subsidy of insurance that jackets abortion is the principle that these funding will take away monetary deterrents for women to engage in abortions, thereby, increasing the rate of abortion in the US.

The newly enacted health care reform law was modeled after the reform legislation in Massachusetts. Both laws don't have the public option that was added to the House bill, which was the focal point of the amendment made by Stupak & Pitts that bars government subsidies for insurance that covers abortion. It makes sense to study the Massachusetts experience if insurance coverage really increases the incidence of abortion.

Since the year 2000, the incidence of abortion in Massachusetts has lessened by twelve percent & about thirty-six percent since the year 1991. That means the rate of abortion in Massachusetts has went down by one third, with the majority of the decrease happening in the late 1990s. The noteworthy decline in the rate of abortion around the 1990s diminished amid 2000 & 2008. The downhill trend went on for the duration of the 2 yrs when the law was put into practice. These data indicates that the abortion rate reached a new low since the 70s. There seems to be a disagreement if this decrease was really due to the implementation of the law or due to the fact that the male partner was employed, which translates into financial resources that afford the couple the capability to raise children, thus, abortion is not an option anymore.

The state of Massachusetts is part of seventeen states that give total coverage for abortion subject to the Medicaid program for those in the poverty level. Abortion is also included in the Commonwealth Care plans which are for the next level of income generators. In spite of this, there was no increase in the incidence of abortion. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that covering abortion in health care plans do not increase the abortion rate.