House committee advances bill to let Medicaid and state plans cover abortion care

Representatives on the House Health and Human Services Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 183 on a party-line committee vote, sending the measure to the Appropriations Committee with a favorable recommendation, after several hours of testimony from medical providers, advocates and opponents.

The bill, presented by Representative Garcia with co-prime Representative McCluskey, would remove statutory language that bans use of public funds for abortion care, create a state-funded abortion-care program for Colorado Medicaid recipients and require that state employee health insurance plans include abortion care. Sponsors said federal funds would not be used to pay for the services created under the bill.

Proponents including Isabel Cruz, policy director for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Mariah Guerrero of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights and clinic medical directors argued the measure implements the will of voters who approved…