Most Planned Parenthood clinics will be eligible for coverage under Obamacare, according to a report from the Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard.
Under Obamacare, insurers seeking certification as a “Qualified Health Plan” will be required to cover services by at least 20 percent of the available “essential community providers” in their coverage area — including health centers, family clinics, and Planned Parenthood clinics.
Based on a list of providers from the Department of Health and Human Services, Bedard counted at least 480 of Planned Parenthood’s 750 clinics that are considered “essential community providers.” The “non-exhaustive list” offers more than 17,390 options for “essential community providers” throughout the nation.
“Obamacare is not expected to cover abortions, a chunk of Planned Parenthood’s business,” Bedard writes. “It also provides birth control and cancer screenings. But critics, especially conservatives, believe that by funding Planned Parenthood now, the door is open to expanding coverage to abortion.”
In April, Bedard speculated that Planned Parenthood could be among the approved groups to serve as “navigators” to help Americans sort through Obamacare and sign up for program.