Harmed By Hyde

When I was fifteen years old I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I was ecstatic. I struggled to get on Medicaid since I was a minor and my parents were unable to help; my dad was homeless and my mother was incarcerated. I was unable to go to an Ob/Gyn for almost three months because I had to jump through so many hoops to get my application approved. Once it was approved, I was able to start getting the prenatal care I should’ve had all along. I also had the opportunity to go to the doctor and dentist for the first time in years. Medicaid paid for everything from ultrasounds to the birth of my daughter. This allowed me to spend my money on baby clothes, toys, and nursery supplies. 

I was still on Medicaid three months postpartum when I started having what I thought was a very heavy period. I made an appointment with my Ob/Gyn just in case it was anything serious. It was a spontaneous abortion, commonly known as a miscarriage. I didn’t even know I was pregnant before I went in. I was given some medication (the same as a medication abortion) and Medicaid covered it all.

When my daughter was nine months old, I realized I was pregnant again. This time I knew that I was going to have an abortion. I was seventeen, so in Texas, I had to get my parents’ consent, but this was something I couldn’t do because my parents were still homeless and incarcerated. I had to wait to get permission from a judge through a judicial bypass. This entire process made me go to the clinic multiple times, forced me to stay pregnant for an extra 12 weeks, and made my abortion more expensive. I had Medicaid but I couldn’t use it. Luckily, I was supported by Texas Equal Access Fund and Jane’s Due Process through the process. Despite the funding support, I still had to raise $350 and that was difficult. It was unfair that Medicaid covered everything I needed for my daughter’s birth and my miscarriage, but not my abortion.

— HK Gray, 20, Texas

I found out I was pregnant on my 19th birthday while inside of an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center. I told them I did not want my ex-partner in the room for the ultrasound, but they invited him in any way. I told them I was in constant pain and that I was losing weight. Rather than medical advice, they gave me a blue onesie and a bottle of prenatal vitamins.

I had an extremely difficult few weeks after that. Gestational diabetes made my blood sugar low every few hours leaving me in cold sweats and vomiting all day. My body continued to struggle heavily and I knew that I could not continue my pregnancy while keeping myself healthy. I called my CHIP case manager and was told that I couldn’t be helped because Texas bans insurance coverage of abortion. I was told that I wasn’t going to die; I only felt like I was. 

I was then forced to resume my job as an erotic dancer while 14 weeks pregnant in order to pay for the abortion care I needed. I wasn’t able to raise the full $700 within the time crunch I was on, so a few friends pitched in what they could to help me. I owe them everything and more. I feel like they saved my life. Sex work and solidarity did more for me than the State ever could. Every person should have unrestricted access to medical care, regardless of circumstance.

— Makayla Montoya Frazier, 21, Texas

When I was 22, I was a mama to three daughters and holding down a part-time job at a grocery store, and I realized I was pregnant again. I couldn’t afford another child then — physically, emotionally, or financially. The decision to have an abortion was the easy part — but I couldn’t afford it.

When I gave birth to my three daughters, Medicaid covered every aspect of my pregnancy and the delivery of my daughters. So I assumed it would cover my abortion, but because of the Hyde Amendment, it didn’t. I had to figure out how to pay $900 for the abortion out-of-pocket. That was more money than I made in a month. It took me several weeks to save up, which meant that while I tried to get my abortion during the first trimester, I was pushed to later in my pregnancy before I could finally afford the procedure. This was a really challenging and disheartening experience. 

Thankfully, the law has changed in Illinois and people enrolled in Medicaid now have abortion coverage. Unfortunately, that is not the case in more than half of the states, and it is doubly difficult when combined with the thousands of abortion restrictions. Millions of people live in states that are hostile to abortion. I experienced first hand the panic and worry of not being sure of whether I’d be able to get the abortions I wanted because I couldn’t afford them. Medicaid insurance has been a healthcare lifeline for me and my family—including when I chose to become a parent. We need to make sure that everyone on Medicaid is able to decide if, when, and how to grow their families without fear of that decision being taken away from them simply because insurance won’t cover it.

— Brittany Mostiller, 35, Illinois

At the time of my abortion, I was 20 years old and I had Texas Medicaid for my health insurance. In Texas, Medicaid will not cover abortions unless it is a medical emergency, which was not the case for me. I ended up traveling to New Mexico because it was closest, and in Texas, there is a 24-hour waiting period. I had a strict time limit to get the abortion done.

Since abortions are not covered by Medicaid you must either pay out of pocket and or find funding, if you’re lucky some people may be able to get their full procedure covered, but it’s very rare. Thankfully, in my case, I was able to get my full procedure covered, fuel, and lodging between two abortion funding organizations. It would have been easier if my insurance could have covered it, so I could have had the procedure in my home city or at least within the state of Texas.

Medicaid does not cover abortions, but they do cover alternative services such as prenatal medical care and adoption. Texas Medicaid prenatal assistance includes counseling, mentoring, informational brochures about pregnancy, and a family nurse program. They give information on adoption and how it works, but they do not give any information, counseling for services for abortion. I have had Medicaid for all of my pregnancies, including the last two I carried to term and it was so important to me. When I see how much my medical bill actually is, there is no way I could even come close to affording to have my children. I am so thankful that I was able to go see a doctor and not be forced to go through my pregnancy without it because I can’t afford to pay. There is so much medication that I have to have, like lab work, sonograms, and weekly injections due to my anemia. Even the nausea medication is too expensive for me to afford on my own. I am thankful that Medicaid does cover a lot of it because there is just no way that I could have prepared for a baby and pay the medical bills at the same time. It is just impossible. What I wish, however, is that Texas would support me in my decision to not have another child, too. I wish all of my pregnancy healthcare was covered—including my abortion.

— Angel Kai, 22, Texas

When I needed an abortion, like a lot of young people, I experienced a lot of barriers, including a Medicaid coverage ban and parental involvement law. I lived independent of my parents but was receiving Medicaid tied to my parents’ state benefits. Because I was under 18, I needed my parents’ permission to get an abortion, but I couldn’t go to them for support and instead had to ask a judge for permission. The way Medicaid was set up it wouldn’t have allowed me to navigate health care systems using pubic assistance (Medicaid) until I became 18 and could apply for services on my own. 

Unfortunately, even if Texas’ Medicaid covered abortions, I still would’ve been pushed out of accessing care because of my age. It’s so complicated. Eventually, I had to see a judge to get permission for my abortion, which was granted. Ending Hyde is a necessary step to expanding Medicaid and abortion access. What I imagine is a process that works to include young people’s access and ability to navigate their healthcare independent from stagnant age and parental involvement regulations that only exploit their bodies and freedoms, including and independent from the lack of insurances like Medicaid and that only exacerbates financial barriers to the health needs of young people.

— CoWanda Rusk, 21, Texas

I have had Medicaid health insurance throughout all of my pregnancies, but was only able to use it for the pregnancies I wanted to continue when I had my two children. I didn’t even try to use my Medicaid because I was told early on that it doesn’t cover abortion services before I even got my abortion. It was crystal clear. That makes the barrier just that much more of a barrier. People are on Medicaid because they qualify for it because they can’t afford private insurance. It just creates another barrier. I had Medicaid during my first and second abortion. I also had private insurance through my job, but the deductible on abortion is so high I had no option other than to pay for it out of pocket. It’s extremely unfortunate. They don’t even acknowledge that abortion services are even part of healthcare and that the same Black folks who need abortion care are also on Medicaid. It’s unfortunate that you can use Medicaid to have a baby but not any form of abortion services. That’s astounding. It’s unfair, just like the fifty thousand other issues we fight for so our families can be healthy. It keeps us unable to have the services that we need. We get judged for having children and having food stamps, but then government assistance doesn’t allow you to have abortions you need to decide if you want another child. It’s hypocritical.

I have Medicaid for both of my children and it’s like night and day when it comes to Medicaid supporting doctors appointments, prescriptions, surgeries, having the baby, and everything when it comes to healthcare. It covers so much that sometimes when I go into the pharmacy and get a prescription for my kids, Medicaid covers more than my private insurance through my job so I use it more. It’s wild how Medicaid supports any other healthcare procedure but treats abortion so differently.

— Kay Winston, 26, Ohio