Can I get help paying for an abortion?
Overview
The cost of an abortion procedure will vary depending on factors such as gestational age, type of procedure, and type of provider (see below for more factors).
While you may opt to pay for abortion care out-of-pocket, the procedure may be covered by health insurance—including Medicaid, other state-subsidized insurance programs, or private plans. Several nonprofit organizations, known as "abortion funds," may be available to help cover the costs of those unable to afford abortion care. You can access information on these funds here.
If you have private insurance, you should check with your insurer to verify benefits and eligibility. On the back of your insurance card, there is typically a phone number to call to understand your benefits. You may want to ask the following questions:
Do I have coverage for abortion?
Is there a deductible I must pay towards this procedure?
Do I need a referral from my primary care provider for this procedure?
Is there a co-pay for this procedure?
Insurance plans provided through religious employers, especially Catholic employers, often do not cover abortions.
While the federal government prohibits federal funds from covering abortion, there are mandatory exceptions to the law for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the pregnant person. State Medicaid programs must, at a minimum, provide abortion coverage consistent with federal law. Many state governments have stepped up and set up a system to allow for state Medicaid funding to include coverage for abortion care beyond the minimum requirement.
Factors that may affect cost
Gestational Age: The cost of an abortion typically rises with gestational age. Fees typically rise after the first trimester, or around 12 weeks after LMP (last menstrual period).See the list of hospital and clinic providers for costs in New England.
Type of Provider: Generally, the cost of abortion is lower in clinics than in hospitals.
Type of Procedure: Costs may differ for in-clinic (surgical) and medication abortions via telehealth.
Anesthesia or pain management: Depending on the type of abortion and type of anesthesia available, an individual may choose to have intravenous (IV) sedation or general anesthesia, which may affect the cost.Rh Negative Status: An individual is Rh negative if their blood does not contain Rh factor. About 15% of people are Rh negative. If you are Rh negative, an injection of immune globulin may be necessary. This is to protect your health and the health of any future pregnancies you may have. There may be an extra charge for this injection.
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If you live in Connecticut and have health insurance through Medicaid, your abortion should be covered. To apply for coverage through the Connecticut Health Exchange or find out if you are eligible, visit accesshealthct.com.
Connecticut does not require private insurers to cover abortion care.
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If you live in Maine and have health insurance through MaineCare, your abortion should be covered by MaineCare. Maine requires all private and public insurance that covers prenatal care to also cover abortion. Employees who get their insurance through a religious organization may want to check if their abortion care is covered because religious employers are exempt from the abortion coverage requirement. To apply for MaineCare or find out if you are eligible, visit Benefits.gov.
Maine may require private insurers to cover abortion care. Almost all state-regulated private health insurance plans that cover prenatal care must include abortion coverage without exclusions or limitations.
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In Massachusetts, as of January 1, 2023, all private insurance policies subject to Massachusetts law are required to cover abortion and abortion-related care without cost sharing.
MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid plan, and plans offered through the Massachusetts Health Connector, also cover abortion care without cost sharing.
General information about how to navigate the Massachusetts health care system—including insurance eligibility and coverage—is available to anyone, free of charge, from the Health Care for All Consumer HelpLine at (800) 272-4232 or on their website at www.hcfama.org. The HelpLine handles calls in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Massachusetts law helps protect patient confidentiality on Summary of Payments for those who are not the primary policy holders of their insurance. Learn more about this law.
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If you live in New Hampshire and have insurance through Medicaid, New Hampshire Healthy Families, or Wellsense, your abortion will only be covered if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest or if the life of the woman or pregnant person is endangered if the pregnancy continues.
New Hampshire does not require private insurers to cover abortion care.
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If you live in Rhode Island and have insurance through Medicaid or a state employee health plan, your abortion will now be covered by the state after passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act in May 2023. Health insurance plans in Rhode Island may opt to cover abortion care but are not legally required to.
Rhode Island does not require private insurers to cover abortion care.
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If you live in Vermont and have insurance through Vermont Health Connect, your abortion should be covered by Vermont Health Connect. To apply for Medicaid or find out if you are eligible, visit Vermont Health Connect, or call 1-855-899-9600.
Vermont does not require private insurers to cover abortion care.
Insurance
Abortion Funds
Abortion funds are organizations that will help you pay for your abortion when you can’t afford it. Some funds are able to help you with travel, lodging, child care, doula, translation services and other supports so that accessing an abortion is less challenging. Some offer additional help with birth control, gender affirming care and more. While every abortion fund is its own independent organization, they all work together to get abortion seekers as much support as possible.
Abortion funds are local so they know their area well. If you need help and don’t know where to begin, a good place to start is to reach out to the abortion fund in your home state or region or, if you are traveling, the state or region where you are going to get your abortion. You can also ask the clinic or provider with whom you have your appointment and they should be able to connect you with a helpful fund.
Typically, most abortion funds ask that you make an abortion appointment before you reach out to them. You will need to know how much the procedure will cost so that the funds can work on getting you help. It may take 24 to 48 hours for an abortion fund to get back to you.
You don’t have to pick just one abortion fund to reach out to and can leave messages for several. Typically, once you hear back from a fund and start working with them, they will be your primary contact and will help coordinate if you need additional support.
See https://abortionfunds.org/need-an-abortion for more information about abortion funds.
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The REACH Fund of Connecticut works directly with providers across the Nutmeg state to support patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut. If you are seeking abortion care in Connecticut and cannot afford out-of-pocket costs, your clinical provider will seek support on your behalf from REACH.
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SafeMaine works directly with the abortion providers listed on their website to help patients seeing those providers who need financial assistance to obtain abortion care. Patients can visit the SafeMaine website to find a list of providers who work with SafeMaine.
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Massachusetts has four abortion funds that offer funding assistance for abortions and some offer additional logistical, practical, or doula support as well. All four funds work with people who live in Massachusetts or people who are coming to Massachusetts for an abortion and work together to do their best to make sure that every abortion seeker gets the support that they need.
If you live in Massachusetts, call the fund that covers the part of the state where you live.
If you're coming to Massachusetts from elsewhere, call the fund that covers the area where your abortion provider is located.
Not sure which? Don’t stress and call any Massachusetts fund. They will sort it out!
The Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund. For help, call or text 866-475-0293, or email help@emafund.org
The Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts. For help, call 508-829-7300
The Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts. For help, call or text 413-582-3532
Tides for Reproductive Freedom. For help, call or text 413-419-1585, or email getfunding@tidesforchange.org
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The Reproductive Freedom Fund of New Hampshire removes financial barriers for anyone receiving abortion care in or from New Hampshire through direct service funding and practical support. Leave a message on their hotline answering machine or text their hotline for assistance; they will return your call within 24 hours. Please make an appointment for care before calling.
For help, call 603-395-9078.
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The Women’s Health and Education Fund works directly with providers. If you are trying to access an abortion in Rhode Island and cannot afford the cost of care, ask your provider to connect you with the Women’s Health and Education Fund.
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The Vermont Access to Reproductive Freedom Fund (VARF) is a pro-choice organization focused on economic and health care justice, helping fund people seeking abortion care in Vermont every year.
For help, call (802) 371-0102
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The Brigid Alliance helps to cover travel, housing, and other types of support for patients who live in any part of the country and are looking to travel to clinics in any state where abortion is legal. Please ask the clinic you are working with to refer you to The Brigid Alliance for travel support.
The National Network of Abortion Funds is a non-profit organization of more than 104 affiliates across the U.S. and internationally who offer abortion funding. If you are traveling to New England from out of state, NNAF’s website can help you locate your local abortion fund.
Indigenous Women Rising’s abortion fund is open to all Native and Indigenous people in the United States and Canada who have the capacity to become pregnant and are seeking an abortion in the United States. If you are not Native or Indigenous, please do not submit a request with IWR.
CLICK HERE to fill out IWR’s form online or you can call or text IWR’s warm line (505) 398-1990 to get more information. IWR’s team uses and recommends the Signal app for secure communication.
