By Lori Adelman • @ladelman • 10 years ago

Guttmacher Institute: Many people find it difficult to pay for an abortion procedure, are unable to use insurance

The Guttmacher Institute has published a new study on payment for abortion care among U.S. women showing that as much as *half* of all abortion patients rely on assistance to cover the costs. Among the most disturbing and frustrating findings is that many women who are covered by insurance are not able to use the insurance, either because they aren’t aware they are covered or because they are concerned about stigma. From the accompanying release:

Most women who have abortions have health insurance, but most still pay out-of-pocket for abortion services, according to “At What Cost? Payment for Abortion Care by U.S. Women,” by Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute et al., published online in the journal Women’s Health Issues. This is true for women with both public and private health insurance. The most common reason women reported not using their insurance was that they believed their plan didn’t cover it (46%)—either because they were told abortion was not covered or more often assumed it was not. About one in 10 women indicated that they did not want to use their insurance, presumably because of stigma or concerns about confidentiality.

Read the whole thing, and if you are so moved donate to your local abortion fund.

Brooklyn, NY

Lori Adelman started blogging with Feministing in 2008, and now runs partnerships and strategy as a co-Executive Director. She is also the Director of Youth Engagement at Women Deliver, where she promotes meaningful youth engagement in international development efforts, including through running the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program. Lori was formerly the Director of Global Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and has also worked at the United Nations Foundation on the Secretary-General's flagship Every Woman Every Child initiative, and at the International Women’s Health Coalition and Human Rights Watch. As a leading voice on women’s rights issues, Lori frequently consults, speaks and publishes on feminism, activism and movement-building. A graduate of Harvard University, Lori has been named to The Root 100 list of the most influential African Americans in the United States, and to Forbes Magazine‘s list of the “30 Under 30” successful mediamakers. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lori Adelman is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Partnerships.

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