During an event on Wednesday at the White House celebrating the administration’s anti-abortion efforts, the Trump Administration announced a new measure to restrict abortion access: withholding $200 million in Medicaid funding from California after the state passed a law requiring health insurance companies to cover abortion care.
Alex Azar, Health and Human Services Secretary, announced that his department would move to cut an additional $200 million per fiscal quarter if the state does not reverse its law.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted Wednesday, “Nothing like the “pro-life” party eliminating healthcare during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. California will survive without this $$ for now — but their frail, pathetic patriarchal system they are so desperate to protect won’t.
It is possible that when President-elect Biden’s pick for HHS, Xavier Becerra, moves into his role next month, the mandate can be reversed. Becerra is known to be enthusiastically pro-choice.
Sources: CBS San Francisco 12/16/20; CNN 12/17/20; Twitter 12/16/20
