Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) will introduce legislation this week that would bar Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare plans from covering abortion procedures and gender transition treatments for minors.
While the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funds from directly paying for elective abortions, many Obamacare exchange plans still include abortion coverage through state-level carve-outs and separate billing arrangements.
Hawley’s proposal would close those loopholes, ensuring ACA plans cannot offer abortion coverage except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk.
The legislation would also prohibit plans from covering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgical procedures for the so-called “gender transitions” of children.
In a statement, Hawley said:
“It’s time to ban abortion and gender transitions for minors on the healthcare exchanges.
“No more loopholes.”
ACA Fight Collides With Shutdown Battle
The announcement comes as the Senate is preparing for a high-stakes fight over Obamacare ahead of the Nov. 1 open enrollment deadline.
Democrats are pushing to extend ACA subsidies, but Senate Republicans have said any negotiations must wait until the government is reopened.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) blasted Democrats on Tuesday for refusing to compromise while continuing to block Republican efforts to end the shutdown.
“Democrats like to whine that Republicans aren’t negotiating, but negotiation, Mr. President, is what you do when each side has a list of demands and you need to meet in the middle,” Thune said.
“Republicans, as I and a lot of other people pointed out, haven’t put forward any demands.
“Only Democrats have made demands.
“And by the way, very expensive demands.”
Republicans argue Democrats are seeking to roll back $1.5 trillion in spending cuts from what they call the “big, beautiful bill.”
Democrats also want to redirect taxpayer funding back to NPR, PBS, and even programs that benefit illegal aliens.
Looming Deadline
If the shutdown drags past Nov. 1, ACA plans could see premiums skyrocket.
Such a scenario would hit families just as open enrollment begins.
It would also mark the longest shutdown in U.S. history, surpassing the 21-day standoff between then-President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the mid-1990s.
Hawley’s bill adds another layer to the fight, directly challenging two of the Democrats’ most sacred policy priorities, taxpayer-subsidized abortion access and federally backed gender medicine for children.
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