The Ohio Senate has endangered all Ohioans by inserting extremely broad denial of care bill language into the state’s budget (HB 110). This dangerous provision allows health care providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and even employers to refuse to provide or pay for care based on their beliefs, opening the door to widespread denial of care and discrimination.
The simple fact is that this religious refusal language will allow health care providers and payers to deny needed services, not for medical reasons but based on their religious beliefs, risking the health and safety of all patients in Ohio.
Should your boss’s religious beliefs dictate what health care your family can or cannot receive? We say No!
This provision will have unpredictable and far-reaching negative consequences, affecting health care such as contraception, end-of-life care, vaccination, pregnancy & reproductive services, counseling & behavioral health, fertility treatment, PrEP & HIV treatment, and many others. This is especially devastating to women, older Americans, LGBTQ people, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas.
