Bill > S178

This bill aims to improve abortion data reporting by establishing new requirements for states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The legislation would make Medicaid payments for family planning services contingent on states submitting comprehensive abortion data to the CDC by December 31st each year. The data collection will include mandatory questions about variables such as maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, abortion method, marital status, previous pregnancies, and maternal residence, as well as whether the child survived the abortion. States must certify the accuracy of their data, and if they knowingly provide false information, they may lose Medicaid funding for family planning services. The bill highlights current reporting gaps, noting that some states do not report any abortion data and that no single data point is publicly reported across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The CDC will be required to maintain a standardized surveillance system, create a standard data collection worksheet, allow for cross-tabulation of variables, and publish an annual report by December 30th of the third calendar year following the data collection period. The ultimate goal is to improve public health and policy analysis by ensuring more accurate and comprehensive abortion data collection.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/178/all-info