# Plain Language Summary: Defunding Abortion Transportation Act

This bill would prevent Medicaid from paying for non-emergency transportation to abortion services. Currently, Medicaid can cover the cost of getting people to medical appointments and services they need, including transportation. This bill would create an exception: if someone is using Medicaid to pay for a ride to get an abortion, the federal government would no longer contribute its share of that transportation cost.

To understand who this affects, it's important to know that Medicaid is a joint program where both the federal government and individual states pay for healthcare services for low-income people. When someone on Medicaid needs a ride to a doctor's appointment, the program can cover that transportation cost, and the federal government typically pays a significant portion. Under this bill, if that ride is specifically to access an abortion, the federal government would refuse to pay its share, leaving states to either cover the full cost themselves or stop offering this transportation benefit for abortion services.

The practical impact would fall mainly on low-income women who rely on Medicaid and need help getting to abortion providers. In states that choose to follow this rule, women might have to pay for their own transportation to abortion clinics, which could make it harder for them to access the procedure, especially if they live far from a provider. States would have to decide whether to pick up the full cost of transportation for abortion services or eliminate this benefit entirely for that specific service. The bill would take effect whenever it becomes law and would apply to all transportation provided after that date.

Defunding Abortion Transportation Act

Carter, Earl L. "Buddy"

Defunding Abortion Transportation Act This bill prohibits federal Medicaid payment for nonemergency transportation that is used to access medical care or services for which federal payment is prohibited (e.g., abortion services).