Dear John,

For over four decades, the Hyde Amendment has been doing exactly what it intended – restricting access to abortion coverage for individuals enrolled in Medicaid, disproportionately hurting those who are low-income, especially women of color.

But the tides are turning, thanks to BOLD efforts led by women of color to end this harmful policy once and for all.

The Hyde Amendment has taken center stage among candidates for elected office, and a growing number of cities and states are making bold moves to lift coverage bans and expand coverage for abortion care. 

We are getting closer to ensuring we are all able to live, work, and make decisions about our health and our future with dignity and economic security. To get us there, it’s important that people know exactly what we are fighting for and why.

Here are five questions I get asked most often by friends, family, and supporters about the Hyde Amendment and our work to repeal it – please share.

--Destiny Lopez

Co-Director, All* Above All

So, what exactly is the Hyde Amendment?

The Hyde Amendment is a federal policy that bans public health insurance programs from covering abortion. Simply put, this means that people who are enrolled in Medicaid health insurance are denied affordable abortion care.

Since the Hyde Amendment was first passed in 1976, anti-abortion politicians have piled on more abortion coverage bans to programs under this policy. Even though the public widely supports lifting coverage bans, lawmakers continue to renew Hyde year after year. 43 years is long enough, don’t you think?

So no one enrolled in Medicaid has insurance coverage for abortion?

Despite abortion coverage being banned through the federal Medicaid program, states can use their own state Medicaid funds to cover abortion care.

This year, Maine became the 16^th state to cover abortion with its own funds, and last year Illinois passed a BOLD proactive bill that also requires private insurance to cover abortion.

Cities are also getting in on the bold action to ensure people can get affordable abortion care. The city of New York secured local funding in its budget to cover abortion care, and Austin, Texas, this year became the first city in the country to provide funding for practical support, like transportation and child care, for abortion.

Does the Hyde Amendment have a big impact?

You bet. The Hyde Amendment creates an often insurmountable barrier to abortion for people across the country already struggling to get affordable health care. This harmful policy disproportionately affects those who are low-income, people of color, young people, transgender and non-binary people.

Restricting Medicaid coverage of abortion forces one in four poor women seeking an abortion to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. When a woman wants to get an abortion but is denied, she is more likely to fall into poverty.

What can lawmakers do?

It’s pretty simple – Congress can lift the Hyde Amendment and pass the EACH Woman Act.

The EACH Woman Act is bold legislation to reverse the Hyde Amendment and related abortion funding restrictions. This year, the groundbreaking bill was introduced in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and has more than 160 co-sponsors.

This legislation will both ensure that every woman who receives care or insurance through the federal government will have coverage for abortion AND it prohibits political interference with decisions by private health insurance companies to offer coverage for abortion care.

What can you do?

We need everyone’s help to ensure that abortion coverage bans are lifted once and for all.

Learn more about abortion coverage bans in your state.

Spread the word. Talk to your friends and family and post on social media using #BeBoldEndHyde so more people know what’s at stake.

Hold Congress and state legislators accountable by urging your elected officials to lift bans on coverage so that each of us can get affordable abortion care, however much money we have or however we get our insurance.