Illegal Medicaid Denials

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Medicaid serves to provide low-income individuals with health care.  However, abortion is excluded from the Medicaid program, except when the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman or is the result of rape or incest.  However, enrollees who are entitled to abortion services under Medicaid often face numerous barriers to services, such as burdensome reporting requirements and lack of abortion providers who accept Medicaid.  These barriers do not exist with other forms of Medicaid services, and this is not a surprise considering public funding for abortion has been a controversial and heated topic since the Supreme Court determined in 1973 in Roe v. Wade that a woman has the right to abortion.  

Political controversy, however, is never a justified reason to deny individuals health care.  The Illegal Medicaid Denials Project serves to advocate for those Medicaid enrollees who are denied Medicaid abortion services.  

The Project aims to:

  1. educate providers, advocates and Medicaid officials about the barriers enrollees face in Medicaid program when trying to access abortion services;
  2. educate those stakeholders about Medicaid and patients’ rights to Medicaid services; and
  3. shape policy to ensure access to rightfully entitled Medicaid services.
In our tradition of securing health rights for those in need, NHeLP is dedicated to making sure that Medicaid enrollees are receiving all the services they are entitled to, not just those that are politically favorable.

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