SB 6359: Termination of pregnancy

Concerning health plan coverage for the voluntary termination of a pregnancy.

1. IntroducedJan 22, 2014
2. Out of committeestopped here
3. Passed Senate
4. Passed House
5. Governor
6. Law

Prime sponsor

Steve Hobbs (D-44)

Introduced

January 22, 2014 in the Senate

Last action

January 22, 2014

AN ACT Relating to preserving health insurance coverage for the voluntary termination of a pregnancy by requiring health plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2015, that provide coverage for maternity care or services to provide a covered person with substantially equivalent coverage to permit the voluntary termination of a pregnancy, by prohibiting a health plan from limiting in any way a woman's access to services related to the voluntary termination of a pregnancy other than terms and conditions generally applicable to the health plan's coverage of maternity care or services including applicable cost sharing, by not limiting in any way a woman's constitutionally or statutorily protected right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy, by clarifying that health plans are not required to cover abortions that would be unlawful under RCW 9.02.120, by providing an exemption for a multistate plan that does not cover the voluntary termination of pregnancies under federal law, by making the provisions of this act inapplicable to the minimum extent necessary to avoid noncompliance with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, and by clarifying that nothing in this act affects the statutory right of objection based on conscience or religion as set forth in RCW 48.43.065;