Current:Home > MyNevada is joining the list of states using Medicaid to pay for more abortions-VaTradeCoin
Nevada is joining the list of states using Medicaid to pay for more abortions
lotradecoin trading competition updates View Date:2024-12-25 23:32:32
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada is primed to become the 18th state to use Medicaid funds to increase access to abortion for lower-income women.
The change is a result of a court ruling that became official this week after the state government declined to appeal it within 30 days of the release of a written opinion in the case that found denying coverage violated the equal right protections adopted by the state’s voters in 2022. Nevada officials have not said when the coverage will begin, but the judge said it should be no later than early November.
“Nevadans who have Medicaid as their health insurance will no longer need to fear that they will be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will,” Rebecca Chan, a lawyer with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, which sued in the case, said in a statement.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ended the nationwide right to abortion, the issue has been a legal and political battleground. Most Republican-controlled states have implemented bans or restrictions, including 14 that now bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, and four more that generally prohibit it after about the first six weeks of pregnancy. Most Democratic-led states have taken steps to protect access.
Nevada, with a Republican governor and Democratic-controlled legislature, has protected access. Voters in November will consider enshrining the right to abortion in the state constitution; if it passes, there will be a second vote in 2026.
Apart from whether a state bans or restricts abortion, an important factor in its availability is whether it pays for abortions for those who have medical insurance through Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for lower-income people.
Under a 1977 law, federal funds are prohibited from paying for abortion except in cases of rape, incest and when abortion is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person. But states can use their allocations to pay for abortion under more circumstances.
The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, says that most follow the federal law for the state funds, too — or do so but with some additional exceptions.
But 17 of them pay for abortion without limitations. Nine of those are under court orders and eight cover abortion voluntarily.
KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues, says that about one-third of the nation’s women ages 15 to 49 live in states where abortion is not banned but where Medicaid covers abortion in only limited cases. And about one in five women in those states has Medicaid insurance coverage. Those with Medicaid are disproportionately low-income, Native American and Black.
veryGood! (76485)
Related
- New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes
- Georgia politicians urge federal study to deepen Savannah’s harbor again
- Viewing tower, visitor’s center planned to highlight West Virginia’s elk restoration
- Over 300,000 GMC, Chevrolet trucks recalled over concerns with tailgate's release system
- Taylor Swift makes history as most decorated artist at Billboard Music Awards
- Trump is not immune from prosecution in his 2020 election interference case, US appeals court says
- Marilyn Mosby mortgage fraud trial ends in split verdict for ex-Baltimore state attorney
- Correction: Election 2024-Decision Notes-Nevada story
- Shanghai bear cub Junjun becomes breakout star
- California storms cause flooding, mudslides across the state as record rainfall hits West Coast
Ranking
- Luigi Mangione's Lawyer Speaks Out in UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Case
- Who would succeed King Charles III? Everything to know about British royal line.
- EVs won over early adopters, but mainstream buyers aren't along for the ride yet
- Jon Stewart returning to 'The Daily Show': Release date, time, where to watch on TV and streaming
- China's ruling Communist Party expels former chief of sports body
- Border deal's prospects in doubt amid Republican opposition ahead of Senate vote
- Mariah Carey returning to Las Vegas for Celebration of Mimi shows: All the details
- South Carolina wants to resume executions with firing squad and electric chair, says instantaneous or painless death not mandated
Recommendation
-
Stop & Shop is using grocery store kiosks to make digital
-
Deadly decade-long listeria outbreak linked to cojita and queso fresco from a California business
-
ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery announce plans to launch sports streaming platform in the fall
-
House will vote on Homeland Security secretary impeachment: How did we get here, what does it mean?
-
New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes
-
Brittany Cartwright Reveals Where She and Stassi Schroeder Stand After Rift
-
Two off-duty officers who fatally shot two men outside Nebraska night club are identified
-
The music teacher who just won a Grammy says it belongs to her students