Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser called the separate billing policy an administrative nightmare.
Six states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration over an abortion insurance coverage billing mandate. This regulation requires insurers to submit a second, separate invoice for reproductive health care.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy became effective last Tuesday.
The new HHS mandate applies to states that permit insurers on their individual exchanges to sell reproductive health and abortion insurance coverage.
The lawsuit is led by California and was filed in one of that state’s federal courts. The other states involved in this lawsuit against the Trump administration include New York, Maine, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington D.C.
“Our healthcare programs, including the exchanges, are evolving rapidly, and our program integrity efforts must keep up,” said Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare Services in a written statement last December, when the mandate was first unveiled.
The HHS says that the reason for the rule is to make certain that the federal funding prohibition on abortion services can be enforced.
The 6 states and DC feel the reproductive health and abortion insurance coverage billing requirement causes a mess.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, for instance has said that attempting to comply with this regulation will cause insurance companies to face administrative nightmares. Moreover, it will worsen confusion among those who are covered through their health plans. This could extend to the point that it could threaten insureds’ coverage if payments are not made correctly.
“This is an effort to undo our state’s protections and make life more difficult for patients,” said Weiser. He explained that he views the new role as a component of a wider national effort to roll back access women have to abortions. “This rule change is one of several efforts that would undermine women’s right to choose.”
According to Weiser, he initiated the lawsuit filing after hearing concerns made by the 
state’s insurance commission. He is also concerned that it may force insurers to eliminate the reproductive health and abortion insurance coverage they currently sell.
