Inslee: Leg. Must Act On Abortion-Insurance Bill - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Speaking before a crowd of about 250 abortion-rights supporters, Gov. Jay Inslee called Monday for an up-or-down vote in the state Senate on a measure to require most insurers in the state to pay for abortions.
    
Supporters say the bill, which they call the Reproductive Parity Act, would ensure continued coverage for abortions once federal health care reforms taking effect next year trigger bureaucratic hurdles for insurers paying for the procedure.
    
Opponents say that abortion insurance coverage is already widespread and that the bill is unnecessary.
    
The measure is expected to pass out of the Democratic-controlled House but faces an uncertain future in the Republican-dominated Senate. Senate Health Care Committee Chair Randi Becker said her committee will hear the bill but declined to say what its chances were of emerging from it.

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