HHS Office of Civil Rights launched conscience violation investigations into all 13 states requiring private insurers to pay for abortions.
sent 13 states letters late Wednesday evening, opening investigations into whether their requirements violate conscience protections under federal rules prohibiting state and local governments from discriminating against healthcare entities that refuse to facilitate abortions.
Oz eyes Florida as first GOP target in Medicaid and Medicare fraud crackdown Paula Stannard, Director for HHS’ OCR, said in a press release that the investigations involve alleged violations of the Weldon Amendment, a provision of law that ties federal funding to anti-abortion conscience protections for all healthcare entities, including hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies. Trump administration officials told reporters ahead of the announcement that the current laws in the 13 states that mandate abortion coverage mean that thousands of employers and individuals are required to either forgo health insurance or purchase plans that provide abortion coverage despite their conscientious objection. Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine are the 13 states that require all insurance plans to cover abortion. Map of states that require or limit abortion coverage in private insurance, Obamacare, and Medicaid plans, from health policy organization KFF. Stannard said in her press release that the investigations aim “to address certain states’ alleged disregard of, or confusion about” compliance with the statute. “Under the Weldon Amendment, health care entities, such as health insurance issuers and health plans, are protected from state discrimination for not paying for, or providing coverage of, abortion for any reason. Period,” Stannard said. HHS’ civil rights office earlier this year disavowed a Biden administration interpretation of the Weldon Amendment, issued in 2021, that excluded employers and plan sponsors from the scope of healthcare entities protected by the conscience protection provision. Trump OCR officials viewed the Biden interpretation of the rule as “unduly narrow.” The investigations will be welcomed by anti-abortion advocates, who have had tensions with the administration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. from the Food and Drug Administration into the negative consequences of telehealth prescriptions for medication abortion, delaying a decision on abortion pills until after the November elections.referring to the Hyde Amendment’s prohibition of using federal funding to pay for abortion that has been included in all congressional appropriations bills since the 1970s. Trump wasThe Weldon Amendment was introduced by former Rep. Dave Weldon in 2005 and, such as the Hyde Amendment, must be voted on with each congressional spending bill. Trump administration officials said the 13 Weldon Amendment investigations are part of the ORC’s efforts to “enforce conscience rights and protect human life,” according to the press release issued Thursday. In January, coinciding with the annual anti-abortion March for Life in Washington, D.C., OCR announced a notice of violation forafter finding the state’s laws violated federal conscience protections by forcing healthcare providers to refer for abortion regardless of personal or religious beliefs. Administration officials told reporters that the 13 new Weldon Amendment investigations were not sparked by official complaints from any of the states in question but rather were part of the agency’s compliance review authority.
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