Texas Seeks To Ban Insurance Policies From Covering Abortion

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AUSTIN (AP) — An effort to prohibit coverage of abortion by many health insurance plans in Texas is back, despite stalling in previous years.

Republican Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood is seeking to bar health insurance plans offered through the Obama administration's signature health care law from covering the cost of abortions. Exceptions are if policyholders purchase supplemental coverage, or in the case of medical emergencies.

A Senate committee heard the bill Tuesday, and it is expected to draw widespread support in the Republican-controlled Legislature. A similar effort failed to become law last session, though.

Texas is behind other conservative states on the issue.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research group supporting abortion rights, says 25 states already restrict abortion coverage in plans purchased through health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.