State Prohibition on Funding Non-therapeutic Abortions Expanded to Certain Political Subdivisions

The recently signed Ohio Budget Bill prohibits the use of state or political subdivision funds from directly or indirectly paying costs related to or coverage of non-therapeutic abortions. The law defines a non-therapeutic abortion as an abortion "performed or induced when the life of the mother would not be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or when the pregnancy of the mother was not the result of rape or incest reported to a law enforcement agency". 
To comply with this law, coverage of non-therapeutic abortions for impacted groups will be discontinued as of the stated effective date, September 28, 2011.  We will be notifying impacted groups of these changes by letter in the next few weeks. 
Impacted Groups
The following political subdivisions must discontinue coverage of non-therapeutic abortions:

• Townships
• Counties *
• School districts
• All other bodies corporate and politic responsible for governmental activities in a geographic area smaller than the state

(applies to all group sizes and fully insured and self funded)
*Excepted from the law are municipal corporations (e.g., cities and villages) and counties that have adopted a constitutional charter exercising the powers of self-government.


From "Anthem Broker News Flash" 10/21/2011