Maryland hearing spotlights plan to use ACA segregated premiums to fund abortion grants

Delegate Leslie Lopez asked the House Health and Government Operations Committee on Monday to give HB 930 a favorable report, saying the bill would establish a public‑health grant program under the Maryland Department of Health to reimburse providers for abortion costs "without a penny from taxpayers." Lopez said the measure would draw on segregated accounts created under the Affordable Care Act that are earmarked for abortion coverage and that the Maryland Insurance Administration estimates hold about $25,000,000 now and generate roughly $3,000,000 annually.

Why this matters: Supporters said the fund would shore up access to abortion care amid closures and rising demand after the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision curtailed federal protections and as nonprofit abortion funds struggle to meet needs. Critics called the plan a state bailout of abortion providers and said it would compel private insurance policyholders to subsidize services they…