On Wednesday, Governor Gary Herbert (R) signed into law an extreme measure that prohibits women from using their own private money to purchase insurance coverage of abortion. At the same time, he also approved a bill that expands Utah’s existing law allowing providers to refuse abortions. The insurance ban applies to all private insurance plans in the state, including those plans that are sold through Utah’s existing insurance exchange and any exchange that will be established pursuant to the health care law. This is a terrible blow for the women of Utah who will lose benefits they currently have. Women in Utah will now have to pay high out-of-pocket costs for an abortion because they are prohibited from using insurance to pay for it. Since women in the state already earn less (on average) than men and have more trouble affording health care, this law will only further exacerbate the barriers the women of Utah face in obtaining and paying for health care.

Utah now is now one of six states (ID, KY, MO, ND, OK) that prohibits women from purchasing insurance coverage of abortion. Five states (AZ, LA, MS, MO, TN) specifically prohibit women from purchasing an exchange-based health plan that covers abortion services. So in all ten states, politicians have punished women’s private health decisions and denied them insurance coverage for comprehensive health care.

Unfortunately, this extreme measure is just one of many bills prohibiting insurance coverage of abortion that have swept the nation. Check out our new factsheet for more details on the pending state bills and how they harm women.

In an attempt to make these dangerous bills seem less extreme, some bans permit insurers to offer supplemental insurance coverage of abortion. But as we explain in more detail here, supplemental coverage is a false promise; it only further encourages the end of all private insurance coverage of abortion.

Bans on insurance coverage of abortion provide another example of the many extreme measures that, left unchecked, would be the worst setback for women in a generation. These bans are moving quickly through the state legislatures and women’s reproductive rights and health advocates are doing what they can to stop them. We will continue to carefully monitor these bans and encourage you to check back to keep abreast of developments.