‘It makes me feel seen:’ Medicaid can now cover abortions in Colorado
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Public funds in Colorado can now cover abortion services thanks to a new law that took effect January 1, ending a 40-year ban.
“It makes me feel seen,” said Aynsley Neaves, a Colorado Springs woman who received an abortion in October 2024. “Getting a bill every week reminding you of your dead son is not a great experience.”
Neaves was enrolled in Medicaid at the time — she still is — but insurance did not cover her abortion, a gap the new law now addresses.
In 2024, Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 79, which not only repealed the 1984 state ban on public funding for abortions, but also codified a constitutional right to an abortion.
State lawmakers last year passed Senate Bill 25-183, which implemented Amendment 79. The legislation expands the definition of “family-planning-related services” to explicitly include abortion care, making the procedure eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
The law notably expands health care coverage at a moment when many Americans are concerned about changes and potential cuts to Medicaid.
The law notably expands health care coverage at a moment when many Americans are concerned about changes and potential cuts to Medicaid.
As a result of the legislation, both Colorado’s Medicaid — called Health First Colorado — and public employee health insurance plans are now required to fully cover the cost of abortion care.
The state’s Department of Health Care Policy and Financing reports that more than 1.2 million Coloradans, roughly 20% of the state, are enrolled in Medicaid.
Nearly half of Coloradans had some type of health insurance that did not cover abortion care in 2024, according to Jack Teter, regional director of government affairs at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
In Neaves’ case, doctors told her that her son was not developed and they couldn’t hear the fetus’ heartbeat at around nine weeks. They asked Neaves to wait until her 11-week appointment to be certain.
At the follow-up appointment, the doctor confirmed Neaves’ baby did not have a heartbeat. They prescribed a misoprostol‑only abortion regimen to end the pregnancy — 800 micrograms, followed by 400 micrograms.
According to Rachel Kingery, a spokesperson for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, patients at higher gestational ages or using a misoprostol‑only regimen may require multiple doses of 800 micrograms.
“It went terribly wrong within about two hours,” Neaves said.
She ended up at UCHealth Memorial Hospital North in Colorado Springs two and a half hours after taking the pills, she said.
“It left me sitting in a hospital bed for almost seven hours in puddles of blood,” said Neaves, adding that she went into shock as her body expelled the pregnancy.
Serious complications after a misoprostol‑only medication abortion are very rare. Fewer than one percent of patients require hospitalization or a blood transfusion for abortion‑related reasons.
Neaves said she now suffers from severe PTSD.
Just when she felt like she could start moving on, she received a hospital bill for more than $4,000, which she has not paid off.
Neaves can still see the charge on her UCHealth portal, she said, a constant reminder of the trauma she endured.
“I hope this law validates and brings some peace, even just a small amount, to those who hurt and grieve,” she said.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.