<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A report from the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/government-accountability-office/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Government Accountability Office</a> indicates that federal premium tax credits have subsidized <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/affordable-care-act/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Affordable Care Act</a> health plans covering abortions for millions of enrollees in 2026.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108995" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">found</a> that 1,719 of the 6,655 ACA plans available nationwide in 2026, or approximately 26%, included abortion coverage. These plans are estimated to cover 4.4 million individuals.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This figure represents an increase of 683 plans compared to a similar GAO review conducted in 2014. The availability of abortion coverage varies significantly by state, primarily due to differing state abortion laws.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The report is released as <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/congress/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Congress</a> nears the 50th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/hyde-amendment/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hyde Amendment</a>, which prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions, with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is at risk. However, since Obamacare is not funded through the appropriations process, it is not required to adhere to the Hyde Amendment's restrictions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), chairman of the House Values Action Team, stated that the report demonstrates that Obamacare does not extend the same Hyde protections to marketplace plans as it does to other federal programs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The ACA allows premium tax credits to be directed towards health insurance coverage that includes elective abortion,” the lawmakers said, advocating for stronger Hyde protections and increased transparency regarding abortion coverage.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Smith has also urged the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/trump-administration/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trump administration</a> to address abortion coverage in Obamacare plans until Congress enacts legislation extending Hyde protections to those plans.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Today’s GAO report confirms the concerns that Republicans have raised for over fifteen years: the ACA fails to apply the longstanding and bipartisan Hyde Amendment law, which protects taxpayer dollars from funding abortion, both directly and through federal health plans,” the lawmakers stated.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The findings follow criticism of Trump from some Republicans earlier this year when he suggested that lawmakers should be open to flexibility regarding the Hyde Amendment. He has often clashed with more conservative members of his party on this issue.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One proposal currently before Congress, the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act</a>, aims to make Hyde’s restrictions permanent across federal programs and apply them to ACA premium tax credits. Smith is leading the House version of this bill.</p>