I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1692 

To ensure affordable abortion coverage and care for every woman, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2019 

Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, 

Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. GOMEZ, Ms. HAALAND, 

Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 

KHANNA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. 

LARSEN of Washington, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. 

TED LIEU of California, Mrs. LOWEY, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 

New York, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. SMITH

of Washington, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. BERA, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. 

BONAMICI, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CASE, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Ms. JUDY

CHU of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. 

COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CRIST, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 

DESAULNIER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE, 

Mr. MORELLE, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. NADLER, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. OCASIOCORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

PRESSLEY, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. ROSE of New York, Mr. 

ROUDA, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. 

TAKANO, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. TONKO, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, Ms. WEXTON, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of 

Illinois, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. KILMER, Mr. SCHNEIDER, 

Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, 

Mr. DELGADO, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. 

BEYER, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. HECK, Ms. MATSUI, Miss RICE of New York, 

and Mrs. TORRES of California) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 

the Committees on Ways and Means, and Oversight and Reform, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 


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•HR 1692 IH

A BILL 

To ensure affordable abortion coverage and care for every 

woman, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equal Access to Abor5 tion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act 

6 of 2019’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress makes the following findings: 

9 (1) Affordable, comprehensive health insurance 

10 that includes coverage for a full range of pregnancy11 related care, including abortion, is critical to the 

12 health of every person regardless of actual or per13 ceived race, color, national origin, immigration sta14 tus, sex (including sexual orientation, gender iden15 tity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition relat16 ing to pregnancy or childbirth, or sex stereotyping), 

17 age, or disability status. 

18 (2) Neither a woman’s income level nor her 

19 type of insurance should prevent her from having ac20 cess to a full range of pregnancy-related care, in21 cluding abortion services. 


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1 (3) No woman should have the decision to have, 

2 or not to have, an abortion made for her based on 

3 her ability or inability to afford the procedure. 

4 (4) Since 1976, the Federal Government has 

5 withheld funds for abortion coverage in most cir6 cumstances, affecting women of reproductive age in 

7 the United States who are insured through the Med8 icaid program, as well as women who receive insur9 ance or care through other federal health plans and 

10 programs. Of women aged 15–44 enrolled in Med11 icaid in 2017, 55 percent lived in the 35 States and 

12 the District of Columbia that do not cover abortion, 

13 except in limited circumstances. This amounts to 

14 roughly 7.3 million women of reproductive age, in15 cluding 3.1 million women living below the Federal 

16 poverty level. Women of color are disproportionately 

17 likely to be insured by the Medicaid program: Na18 tionwide, 32 percent of Black women and 27 percent 

19 of Hispanic women aged 15–44 were enrolled in 

20 Medicaid in 2017, compared with 16 percent of 

21 White women. 

22 (5) Moreover, 26 States also prohibit abortion 

23 coverage in private insurance plans within or beyond 

24 health insurance marketplaces under the Patient 

25 Protection and Affordable Care Act. 


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1 (6) Restrictions on abortion coverage interfere 

2 with a woman’s personal decision making, with her 

3 health and well-being, and with her constitutionally 

4 protected right to a safe and legal medical proce5 dure. 

6 (7) Restrictions on abortion coverage have a 

7 disproportionate impact on low-income women, 

8 women of color, immigrant women, and young 

9 women. These women are already disadvantaged in 

10 their access to the resources, information, and serv11 ices necessary to prevent an unintended pregnancy 

12 or to carry a healthy pregnancy to term. 

13 SEC. 3. ABORTION COVERAGE AND CARE REGARDLESS OF 

14 INCOME OR SOURCE OF INSURANCE. 

15 (a) ENSURING ABORTION COVERAGE AND CARE

16 THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN ITS ROLE AS

17 AN INSURER, EMPLOYER, OR HEALTH CARE PRO18 VIDER.—The Federal Government shall— 

19 (1) ensure coverage for abortion care in public 

20 health insurance programs including Medicaid, 

21 Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Pro22 gram; 

23 (2) in its role as an employer or health plan 

24 sponsor, ensure coverage for abortion care for par25 ticipants and beneficiaries; and 


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1 (3) in its role as a provider of health services, 

2 ensure abortion care is made available to individuals 

3 who are eligible to receive services in its own facili4 ties or in facilities with which it contracts to provide 

5 medical care. 

6 (b) PROHIBITING RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE INSUR7 ANCE COVERAGE OF ABORTION CARE.— 

8 (1) FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS.—The Federal 

9 Government shall not prohibit, restrict, or otherwise 

10 inhibit insurance coverage of abortion care by State 

11 or local government or by private health plans. 

12 (2) STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESTRIC13 TIONS.—State and local governments shall not pro14 hibit, restrict, or otherwise inhibit insurance cov15 erage of abortion care by private health plans. 

16 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

17 It is the sense of the Congress that— 

18 (1) the Federal Government, acting in its ca19 pacity as an insurer, employer, or health care pro20 vider, should serve as a model for the Nation to en21 sure coverage of abortion care; and 

22 (2) moreover, restrictions on coverage of abor23 tion care in the private insurance market must end. 


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1 SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to have any 

3 effect on any Federal, State, or local law that includes 

4 more protections for abortion coverage or care than those 

5 set forth in this Act. 

6 SEC. 6. SEVERABILITY. 

7 If any portion of this Act or the application thereof 

8 to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such inva9 lidity shall not affect the portions or applications of this 

10 Act which can be given effect without the invalid portion 

11 or application. 

Æ 


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