Reproductive Equity Now Responds to HHS Attacks on Massachusetts Abortion Coverage Mandate

RFK Jr.’s investigation is another step in the Trump Administration’s attempts to restrict access to abortion care in protected states

BOSTON (March 19, 2026) – Reproductive Equity Now Interim Co-Executive Director Claire Teylouni released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will investigate Massachusetts’ mandate that health insurance plans cover abortion care. The Trump administration is investigating 13 states, all of which protect abortion care, in an attempt to roll back reproductive freedom, especially for those who face the greatest barriers to care.

“Today’s announcement that HHS will investigate Massachusetts’ abortion coverage mandate is the latest move in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to restrict abortion access in protected states like ours. This is a direct attack on patients, especially those already facing the greatest financial barriers to care,” said Claire Teylouni, Interim Co-Executive Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “When Dobbs was decided in 2022, Massachusetts didn’t just defend access—we went on offense to expand it. We worked alongside legislators and health plans to remove cost barriers and ensure more people could get the care they need. Now, the Trump administration knows it is losing ground and is trying to claw back our progress. But Massachusetts has been clear: we will not be intimidated, and we will not stop working to ensure abortion is accessible for every person in our state and beyond.”

On the heels of the Dobbs decision in 2022, Massachusetts took immediate action to pass a best-in-the-nation shield law that included not only legal protections for patients and providers in Massachusetts, but also tangible efforts to expand access to care, including ensuring that abortion and abortion-related care would be covered by insurers without cost sharing.

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