Public Hlth & Abortion Po

“Money, Politics & Law: Public Health and Abortion Policy” is a deep dive into health policy, health care finance, federalism, and regulatory and enforcement protocols through the unique lens of abortion. Public funding limitations, private insurance coverage restrictions and provider supply constraints are perpetually debated in health policy but remain critical leverage points influencing abortion care. With access alternately protected and eroded by courts, legislatures and regulators nationwide, abortion remains the single most controversial health care service in the United States. Although generally safe when performed legally and cost-effective relative to pregnancies carried to term, the future of abortion appears uncertain. Using abortion as a case study, students conduct a multi-disciplinary examination of legislative, executive and judicial branches of government in action. In each of seven sessions, students will scrutinize facets health law and policy- from landscape view to microscopic dissection- to understand how abortion both mimics and is marginalized relative to other health care services. The course begins by exploring patterns of payment for abortion, selected abortion jurisprudence, federal statutes, key state laws and the regulatory frameworks affecting funding for abortion. How much does abortion cost? Who pays for it and how? Students focus on public financing limitations including the Hyde Amendment, Harris v. McRae and its state level progeny; private insurance coverage and coverage bans including the Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations; noninsurance based funding mechanisms for abortion services including out-of-pocket contributions, borrowed money, sliding scale negotiations, structured funds and philanthropy. Complex issues influencing the abortion provider supply including medical malpractice insurance, laws governing provision of care by non-physicians, and provider training pipelines are explored. This cutting edge health policy case study concludes by contextualizing US abortion policies among developed nations and examining abortion-related restrictions on US foreign funding.