Dems: Make insurance companies offer abortion rider

Sept. 25--LANSING -- Many Democrats would simply like to repeal a law that requires women to purchase an additional rider to their insurance polices if they want abortion coverage.

And while that is unlikely, because the bill passed in December with strong majorities in the Republican-controlled House and Senate, several legislators are introducing a bill this week that would require insurance companies in the state to offer those riders. Currently, only seven of the 42 health insurance plans in the state offer optional abortion riders and those only come with health plans offered to employers, not individuals.

"I still oppose this law and would like to see it repealed," said state Rep. Pam Faris, D-Clio, during a news conference at the state Capitol Wednesday. "But we never told insurance companies that they had to sell it. Many of the women around the state who want to safeguard their health and buy the coverage they need simply can't."

Meredith Osborne, a member of the Law Students for Reproductive Justice, said the policies are leading some students to head out of Michigan after they finish school.

"As young professionals considering where they want to begin their legal careers, we want to live in a state that is welcoming to young people and respects women," she said. "In order to keep us in Michigan, employers, elected officials and insurance companies need to understand that health care matters to us and we're paying attention."

Michigan Right to Life spearheaded a petition drive and gathered enough signatures to put the issue directly to the Legislature after Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a similar piece of legislation in 2012. The law prohibits insurance companies from including abortion coverage in health care plans, instead requiring women to purchase an additional rider.

Right to Life spokesman Ed Rivet called the latest legislation a political campaign stunt filled with misinformation. He's particularly galled that Democrats keep repeating that some miscarriages won't be covered when the law states that insurance still will cover those procedures.

"It doesn't sound very pro-choice to me because now they're saying insurance companies don't have a choice," he said. "You can look for another insurance company if it's that important for you."

The insurance companies that offer the riders are: All Savers Insurance, Blue Care Network, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Nippon Life Insurance, Physicians Health Plan, PHP Insurance and UnitedHealthCare Insurance.

The cost to women who choose the coverage is small -- ranging from 12 cents to $3.84 per year. Companies that self-insure, representing about 3 million people in Michigan, aren't subject to the abortion rider law.

The number of abortions in Michigan reached a high of 49,098 in 1987, but decreased steadily and hit a low of 22,357 in 2009. In 2012, some 23,230 abortions were performed in the state.

About 70% of women who get abortions pay for them out of pocket, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York nonprofit that advocates for sexual and reproductive health. The cost ranges from $300 to $1,700 for most procedures.

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