People in our state face myriad obstacles to abortion access. Geographic distance to providers, weather-related events like snowstorms and a lack of statewide public transportation or sometimes unreliable personal vehicles can impose overwhelming challenges. In Maine – as in the rest of the world – abortion restrictions disproportionately impact traditionally marginalized communities including Indigenous people, communities of color and low-income communities who already face higher rates of maternal mortality and chronic disease.

We are writing today in support of An Act to Remove Barriers to Abortion Coverage in Private Insurance (L.D. 935). Our organization, SAFE Maine, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit abortion fund established in 1989. We have been supporting Maine individuals, families and abortion providers for 34 years by funding abortion costs for patients with urgent needs.

Transgender men and non-binary patients who can become pregnant, young people and people who face language barriers also face unique challenges to accessing healthcare, especially abortion care, from a medical system that has historically denied service and caused harm. Historically, lack of insurance coverage was a barrier to accessing health care like abortion care, but we are seeing that patients insured under a plan with high deductibles find access to needed procedures as challenging as if they had no insurance altogether.

Maine law currently requires private insurances to cover comprehensive pregnancy care, which is a great win for the pregnant people of Maine who wish to continue pregnancies, but many health plans require patients pay out of pocket for abortion care until deductibles are met.

Cost-sharing most severely affects those with the fewest financial resources, which often translates into affecting those who are systematically oppressed. SAFE Maine, the state’s only abortion fund, is working to create a more equitable and just society by offsetting the urgent cost of abortion care for patients who have difficulty paying. We are increasingly recognizing that having insurance is not assurance that abortion care will be covered or will be affordable. L.D. 935 can help create a more equitable healthcare situation in Maine.

One patient recently helped by the SAFE Fund was a young mother, Allison (her name has been changed to protect her privacy). Allison has a full-time job with health insurance and a household budget that is just making ends meet.

When she found herself unexpectedly pregnant and needing an abortion, she learned that her insurance plan had a $1,500 deductible to meet before covering the medical procedure, which meant the cost of her $500 appointment was paid entirely out-of-pocket and due the day she received care. The total cost of her appointment, not including child care, transportation and time off from work, was staggering. Delaying her appointment in order to save up the required money would only increase the risk, discomfort and overall cost of her abortion. SAFE was able to assist Allison in getting her medical care, thanks to the generosity of our donors.

Allison’s story is surprisingly common. Few people have the savings to afford a medical emergency and for those in need of access to abortion care, unexpected costs can mean choosing between paying rent, utility or other essential bills and push them into poverty. 

The SAFE fund is proud to support Maine families and communities in making private medical decisions that are best for them by supporting access to abortion, but our emergency funding support is not a long-term solution. Insurance companies should pay for urgent, time-sensitive medical procedures, such as abortion, and should do so without cost sharing. On behalf of people like Allison, we strongly encourage the Maine Legislature to pass L.D. 935.

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