How Much Does an Abortion Cost?
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Updated on June 28:
On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban, replacing Iowa’s current ban on abortions after 22 weeks. Abortions will still be allowed after six weeks if the pregnancy endangers the life of the pregnant person, according to NPR.
Iowa’s state supreme court ruling comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case centered on Idaho’s abortion ban.
That 6-3 decision, announced June 27, temporarily cleared the way for people in Idaho to get emergency abortions if their health is at risk. That case sought to determine whether Idaho’s abortion ban, which only makes exceptions if the pregnant person’s life is at risk, could be superseded by federal protections that ensure emergency care for people when their health, but not necessarily their life, are at risk.
An abortion generally costs less than $800, according to Planned Parenthood, but often costs less.
The cost of an abortion has not changed a great deal in recent years. However, access to abortions was radically trimmed after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, which ended federal protections for the procedure and opened the door to state-level restrictions on abortions.
You can use Abortionfinder’s state-by-state guide on abortion access to determine what health care is accessible in your area.
Residents of at least 14 states now have no legal access to abortion services, as of June 2024 Meanwhile, 26 states ban abortion at certain points in a pregnancy. Those who choose to travel to another state for the medical procedure will have to take on additional costs, while medication abortion (which now accounts for more than half of all abortions) is likely to continue to grow as an option.
What is an abortion?
An abortion is a medical intervention that ends a pregnancy. The vast majority of abortions — 93.1% in 2020 — are performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are two kinds of abortions: medication abortions and surgical (or procedural) abortions. A surgical abortion is a safe, effective medical procedure, and most people who get surgical abortions can resume normal activities the next day. A medication abortion, commonly referred to as the abortion pill, is another safe, effective form of abortion in which two different pills are administered that end the pregnancy.
Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in June and ended federal protections for abortions, a person’s ability to get an abortion can vary widely based on how many weeks they’ve been pregnant and where they live. You can also use Planned Parenthood’s state-by-state guide on abortion access to determine what health care is accessible in your area.
How much does an abortion cost?
First, let’s define the two types of abortions: surgical abortions and medication abortions.
A surgical abortion is a safe, effective medical procedure, and most people who get surgical abortions can resume normal activities the next day. A medication abortion, commonly referred to as the abortion pill, is another safe, effective form of abortion in which two different pills are administered that end the pregnancy.
The vast majority of all abortions — 93.1% in 2020 — are performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How much does a surgical abortion cost?
A first trimester surgical abortion can cost as much as $800, according to Planned Parenthood, but generally costs less. On average, a first trimester abortion at Planned Parenthood costs $600. Exact costs can vary, depending in part on how long a person has been pregnant at the time of abortion.
According to a report from the University of California, San Francisco, the national median costs for an abortion in 2021 were:
$625 for a first-trimester procedural abortion.
$775 for a second-semester procedural abortion.
How much does an abortion pill cost?
Costs for a medication abortion can vary depending on the length of pregnancy, your insurance, and where the pills are bought or administered.
The abortion pill — a euphemism that refers to the two pills administered for a medication abortion — can cost as much as $800, but usually costs less, according to Planned Parenthood.
Depending on where you live, you can receive the abortion pill — again, that’s actually referring to two pills — at a health clinic, doctor’s office or Planned Parenthood. The FDA has approved the pill for use up to 10 weeks into pregnancy.
States that have restricted abortion access have targeted both surgical and medication abortions, so availability of both methods is affected. In June 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said his department will fight state bans on the use of mifepristone, one of the two components in most medication abortions, so continued access to this form of abortion remains contested.
But access to mifepristone is being threatened. In June 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit, FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which sought to challenge the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. The court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the challenge, and upheld access to mifepristone.
Attempts to restrict access to the abortion pill likely aren’t over. The Court’s unanimous decision, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said health care providers are protected by federal “conscience protections” from prescribing mifepristone, as well as treating mifepristone-related complications, but that the plaintiffs didn’t provide sufficient evidence that such protections were being violated.
To be clear, there are no new health or safety concerns regarding mifepristone, and this development instead represents the continued battle in U.S. courts over reproductive health care.
But if the Supreme Court sides with the lower court’s ruling, access to mifepristone could be limited, even in states that legally protect abortion access.
In April, the court heard another abortion-related case, Idaho v. United States, which challenges the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. That federal law, known as EMTALA, requires virtually all U.S. hospitals to provide necessary emergency medical care to anybody who comes into the hospital needing it. But in Idaho, medically necessary abortions are banned, except in instances where the mother’s life is at risk.
It’s unclear when the court’s ruling is expected. The ruling could determine whether state’s abortion laws overrule such federal protections, as well as whether health care providers have legal cover to refuse to provide medically necessary abortions if the patient’s health — but not their life — are at risk.
In May 2022, the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have codified the right to abortion, failed in the U.S. Senate.
Does insurance cover abortions?
That’s a tricky question to answer, as circumstances are changing almost daily. In some states, insurance still technically offers coverage for what’s become an illegal procedure. In other states, abortion is legal, but certain health insurance plans are barred from covering the procedure.
Here’s what we do know:
Per federal law, no health insurance plan is required to cover abortion.
No federal funds can be used to pay for abortions, with the exception of abortions following rape, incest or life endangerment.
All states are technically required to cover abortions that meet those federal exceptions.
Some private plans only cover abortion in exceptions of rape, incest or life endangerment. And if abortion is illegal in a given state, then any insurance coverage is moot.
Where are abortions available?
In the months since federal protections for abortion were thrown out, some states made efforts to protect the right to abortion, while others sought to ban access to abortion in almost all instances. It’s a situation that’s changing day-by-day.
Abortionfinder.org, an online directory of verified abortion service providers, is regularly updating its state-by-state abortion availability guide.
The following information is updated as of June 2024. Note that in some states, abortion access may be restricted to medication abortions. More state-specific information can be found in the guide.
Abortion is legal and accessible in these states, though there may be restrictions based on the length of the pregnancy: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.
In these states, abortion is still accessible, but isn't legally protected under the state constitution: Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wyoming.
And these states either have total bans on abortion or make it extremely difficult to obtain an abortion: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Can I travel to get an abortion?
You can cross state lines to obtain an abortion. As it stands right now, there aren’t any laws against doing so.
However, some states have attempted to ban people from traveling for an abortion. Experts predict that more states could break from convention and start punishing people for going to another state to do something that’s illegal in their own state.
Before traveling to get an abortion, consider seeking legal advice regarding your state’s abortion laws. The American Bar Association offers free, confidential legal advice from lawyers volunteering to answer questions online.
If you decide to travel for an abortion, don’t forget to budget for all the potential costs associated with the trip. Some expenses to plan for include lodging, gas, food, child care, pet sitting, time off work and bus or plane tickets.
