The "Abortion Funding Awareness Act of 2025" mandates states to report and publish details of Medicaid payments to abortion providers, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services then required to report this data to Congress and make it publicly accessible.
Erin Houchin
Representative
IN-9
The "Abortion Funding Awareness Act of 2025" requires states to report annually to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and publish on a public website, details of all Medicaid payments made to abortion providers, including payment amounts, purposes, comparisons to prior years, number of abortions performed, gestational age, and abortion methods. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must then submit a report to Congress, including state reports and a summary, and publish the report on a public website. This act amends the Social Security Act to ensure state compliance with these reporting requirements.
New Bill Mandates Public Reporting of Detailed Medicaid Payments to Abortion Providers
This bill, the "Abortion Funding Awareness Act of 2025," sets up a new federal requirement for states. If enacted, every state will have to track and publicly report detailed information about any Medicaid money that goes to abortion providers. This isn't just about total dollars; the bill demands specifics on each payment, its purpose, and how it compares to previous years. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would then gather these state reports, summarize them, and share them with Congress and the public online.
Shining a Spotlight: What Gets Reported?
The core of this legislation, laid out in Section 2, is mandatory reporting. Within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year, states must produce a detailed breakdown. This includes not just how much Medicaid money (from federal funds) went to abortion providers, but why – the specific purpose of each payment. Crucially, the reports must also contain specifics about the abortions performed by these providers if linked to the payments: the total number, the gestational age for each procedure, and the method used. States have to post this on a public website, and HHS follows suit with a compiled national report 90 days after the fiscal year ends.
Transparency or Target? The Real-World Fallout
The stated goal seems to be transparency – letting everyone see exactly how federal Medicaid funds are used by abortion providers. However, the level of detail required, especially around specific procedures (gestational age, method), raises some serious flags. Publishing this information publicly, as mandated, could potentially turn providers into targets for harassment. There are also significant privacy questions: while the bill doesn't explicitly say patient names will be released, reporting granular details like gestational age and method tied to specific providers could make identifying individuals easier in smaller communities, creating a chilling effect for both patients seeking care and providers offering it. This level of scrutiny might discourage providers from participating in Medicaid, potentially limiting access for low-income individuals who rely on the program, even for non-abortion services these providers might offer.
Adding Up the Admin: Who Handles the Paperwork?
Let's not forget the practical side. Compiling this detailed data – tracking every payment, its purpose, comparing year-over-year figures, and gathering specific procedural information – adds a new layer of administrative work for state Medicaid agencies. While the bill amends the Social Security Act (Section 1902(a)) to make this a condition of Medicaid funding, it represents an unfunded mandate. States will need to develop systems to track and report this specific information accurately and meet the tight 60-day deadline, potentially diverting resources from other health programs or services. It's another task on the states' already full plates.