Stricter Medicaid abortion process up for debate in Montana
Officials in Republican-controlled Montana on Thursday heard comments against a health department proposal to require prior authorization to pay for abortions for Medicaid patients
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Officials in Republican-controlled Montana on Thursday heard comments against a health department proposal to require prior authorization to pay for abortions for Medicaid patients. Critics say the proposal would unnecessarily reduce access and delay or even prevent abortion care for low-income women.
The Department of Public Health and Human Services wants doctors to submit medical information supporting the need for an abortion to save a patient’s life or for any other medically necessary reason before Medicaid would agree to pay for the procedure. The information would include the number of her pregnancies and children.
Opponents outnumbered supporters 27-1 in the online hearing, in which two Missoula physicians argued the proposal represents an intrusion in the physician-patient relationship, exacerbates the existing health inequities for low-income women and puts medical decisions in the hands of bureaucrats rather than medical providers.
The agency said it is putting into state rules a 1995 court decision that found Montana Medicaid has to cover the costs of “medically necessary” abortions, but not elective abortions. Montana is one of 16 states where Medicaid is required to cover “medically necessary” abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
