Bill > HR719

This bill aims to limit federal demonstration projects under Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) that would provide funding for abortions. Specifically, the bill would prevent the Secretary of Health and Human Services from approving any demonstration project that provides federal financial assistance for abortions, including expenses related to travel or lodging for obtaining an abortion. The bill includes three key exceptions to this restriction: abortions resulting from rape or incest, abortions necessary to save the life of the pregnant individual due to a life-endangering physical condition as certified by a physician, and medical treatment for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. The legislation is grounded in the longstanding Hyde Amendment, which has historically prevented taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions. The bill cites a 2022 Department of Health and Human Services letter that invited states to use Medicaid demonstration authority to expand access to elective abortions, and seeks to permanently prohibit such expansions. By adding a new subsection to Section 1115 of the Social Security Act, the bill would codify these restrictions on abortion funding through Medicaid demonstration projects.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/719/all-info