Biden to Sign Executive Order Unlocking Medicaid for Out-of-State Abortion Patients
© AP Photo / Ross D. Franklin
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Wednesday that will allow states where abortion is legal to apply for Medicaid waivers to guarantee abortion access for women from other states, the White House said.
The Executive Order on Securing Access to Reproductive and Other Healthcare Services will be signed at a meeting of the Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, set up in the wake of the historic overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, according to a fact sheet.
The executive order will direct the Department of Health and Human Services "to consider action to advance access to reproductive healthcare services, including through Medicaid for patients who travel out of state for reproductive healthcare services".
Biden’s order will direct the secretary of health and human services to make sure that healthcare providers comply with federal non-discrimination laws so that women receive medically necessary care without delay. It will also promote data collection to measure the impact of diminishing access to reproductive health care on women’s health.
Demonstrators protest outside of the Supreme Court Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court's secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.
© AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana
The directive is in line with the Biden administration’s commitment to “defending the bedrock right to travel across state lines to seek reproductive healthcare in states where those services remain legal,” the White House said.
The Supreme Court struck down the landmark ruling in June, canceling the nationwide right of women to terminate pregnancies. The court ruled that individual states should determine abortion rights, leading a dozen states to heavily restrict or enforce near-total bans on abortions.
