MO Democratic leaders ask KS, IL to cover abortion costs for out-of-state Medicaid patients

Galen Bacharier, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read
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The top Democrats in Missouri's state legislature wrote to leaders in Kansas and Illinois on Wednesday, asking for the neighboring states' aid in paying for abortions for Missourians on Medicaid who travel out of state.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade of Springfield and Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence asked Govs. Laura Kelly of Kansas and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois to implement an executive order announced by the White House this week allowing state Medicaid programs to cover the costs of abortion and reproductive health care for out-of-state patients.

The requests come as Democrats across the country aim to respond to both the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court and state bans on abortion, including Missouri, in which a trigger law was activated shortly after the decision banning the procedure in all cases except medical emergencies.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo wrote to Kansas and Illinois leaders this week asking for the states to cover costs for Medicaid patients seeking out-of-state abortions.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, a Springfield Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo wrote to Kansas and Illinois leaders this week asking for the states to cover costs for Medicaid patients seeking out-of-state abortions.

"Missouri has been in a public health crisis since June 24, 2022, when our Attorney General, Eric Schmitt, raced in the minutes after the Dobbs decision to implement Missouri's abortion ban trigger law," Quade and Rizzo wrote.

"The extreme laws he implemented now ban nearly all abortion health care access for our citizens, including for people upon whom pregnancy is forced by the violence of rape and incest. These laws were intentionally designed to force birth at any and all costs, and treat mothers as little more than incubators."

Illinois and Kansas choosing to invoke the waivers under the executive order, Quade and Rizzo wrote, would "provide another option for pregnant Missouri Medicaid patients to receive necessary obstetric care." They cited a new report this week from the state that patients covered by Medicaid comprise the majority of pregnancy-related deaths.

Abortion in Missouri: 'Trigger law' activated after U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

How would the abortion cost coverage work? 

If implemented, the waivers would apply under the parameters of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions — so only cases of medical emergency or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest would qualify. Missouri's abortion ban does not make exceptions for rape or incest.

Kelly and Pritzker's offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday morning.

The letters, which were also addressed to legislative leaders in the states and were first reported by the Associated Press, mark Missouri Democrats' latest attempt to find inroads to abortion access for Missourians despite a Republican-held legislature and governor's office. Last session in Jefferson City, a bill proposed allowing lawsuits against those who aid and abet women crossing state lines for abortions, but it failed to gain traction.

"We will expend every effort to protect our citizens as we continue to fight for a government that respects their delegation of power," Quade and Rizzo wrote. "We ask you again to please consider helping them in this way, and are happy to discuss this with you should that be helpful to your decision-making."

Abortion in Missouri: Some worry that Missouri trigger law's language could have deadly consequences

What are Kansas and Illinois currently doing around abortion? 

Abortion rights advocates in Kansas saw a landmark victory on Tuesday after a constitutional amendment that would have removed constitutional protections for abortion was rejected. The first such vote since the overturning of Roe, its defeat attracted national attention.

Across the river in Illinois, Pritzker and a Democrat-dominated legislature have aimed to make the state a center for abortion access surrounded by states that have outlawed it. A 2019 law established a "fundamental right" for abortion access in Illinois, and shortly after Roe was overturned, Pritzker announced plans for a special session to pass additional protections.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MO Democrats ask for abortion cost coverage for Medicaid patients