Catholic insurance company approved for Tri-Cities. It won’t cover abortions

The first health insurer in Washington state to refuse coverage for abortions for religious reasons will be offering plans in the Tri-Cities area.

The Washington state insurance commissioner has approved Providence Health Plan of Portland, Ore., to sell individual health plans in six counties, including Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, Clark, Spokane and Thurston.

Abortion will be covered by a Providence plan only if there is a severe threat to the mother or if the fetus cannot be sustained, according to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner of Washington state.

In 2018 the state Legislature passed the Reproductive Parity Act, requiring state-regulated insurance plans to cover termination of pregnancy as of January 2019.

However, Washington state law also allows insurers to refuse to pay for services for reason of conscience or religion.

Providence Health Plan is a Catholic organization that is guided by the mission of caring that the Sisters of Providence began more than 150 years ago. Kadlec Medical Regional Center in Richland is also an affiliate of Providence Health and Services, but is not a Catholic hospital.

Even though Providence has invoked the conscience clause, it still must give written notice to insurance customers of services it refuses to cover and how customers can otherwise access those services.

“I’m pleased some customers will have an additional choice for their health insurance,” said Kreidler, Washington’s insurance commissioner, in approving Providence’s three health insurance plans for the 2020 individual market.

“But before we could approve these plans, we had to know how women selecting this insurer would access the critical reproductive services they might need and that Providence objected offering,” he said.

Providence is required to inform participants in the plan seeking abortion services it does not cover that they can contact the Washington state Department of Health Family Planning Program by calling 800-525-0127.

The Department of Health will provide information about abortion services in their area.

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee said he remains “fully committed to ensuring that everyone in Washington has access to the full range of reproductive health care options.”

This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 10:51 AM.