Oklahoma Sen. Lankford bIasts Obamacare after GAO findings, says millions of Americans are “forced each year to pay for elective abortion coverage” they do not want or agree with 

Oklahoma – “As suspected, we now know that millions of Americans are forced each year to pay for elective abortion coverage that they do not want or agree with,” Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said after a new federal watchdog report found that hundreds of Affordable Care Act health plans available in 2026 include coverage for abortions outside the exceptions allowed under the Hyde Amendment.

“The GAO findings confirm concerns we have raised for years about Obamacare and the Hyde Amendment,” Lankford said Sept. 16. “The accounting gimmick used in Obamacare does not protect Americans who have a moral objection to paying for the taking of a child’s life through elective abortion.”

Lankford called on the Trump administration to restore the Separate Payment Rule, a federal requirement designed to make abortion coverage and the rest of an Affordable Care Act insurance premium more clearly identifiable to consumers.

The comments came after the Government Accountability Office released a new report Sept. 15 examining abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through federal and state health insurance exchanges in 2026. The nonpartisan congressional watchdog found that 1,719 of the 6,655 qualified health plans available in the 50 states and Washington, D.C., covered what it calls “non-excepted abortion services.” Those plans covered an estimated 4.4 million people.

The GAO report distinguishes between abortion services that federal law permits federal funds to support and “non-excepted” services that fall outside those exceptions. Under current federal law, federal funds generally cannot be used to pay for abortions except in limited circumstances, including pregnancies resulting from rape or incest or cases in which the life of the pregnant woman would be endangered.

At the same time, federal law allows ACA qualified health plans to offer coverage for abortion services that fall outside those exceptions, subject to federal and state requirements. The GAO found that abortion coverage varied significantly depending on state law. In 14 states, such coverage was prohibited and none of the 2,109 plans in those states covered non-excepted abortion services. In 13 states where coverage was generally required, 1,609 of 1,620 plans included it.

The report also found that all 15 insurance issuers GAO examined in 10 states reported estimating the cost of non-excepted abortion coverage at less than $1 per enrollee per month, while setting the premium amount for that coverage at $1 to comply with federal requirements.

That billing structure is central to Lankford’s criticism.

The Separate Payment Rule, issued in 2019, requires insurers to collect a separate payment for abortion coverage from the rest of an ACA plan’s premium. Lankford has argued that the requirement gives consumers greater transparency and helps ensure federal subsidies are not used to directly support abortion coverage.

According to Lankford’s office, the senator and other congressional leaders requested the new GAO review because of longstanding concerns over how the Hyde Amendment applies to Obamacare plans. Lankford has previously pushed legislation and regulatory changes involving separate billing for abortion coverage.

The issue has drawn renewed attention from other Republican lawmakers following the release of the GAO report.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, joined other lawmakers in calling for the Trump administration to reissue the 2019 rule. Her office said the GAO findings showed that 1,719 ACA plans covering an estimated 4.4 million people included elective abortion coverage in 2026.

Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama also highlighted the report, saying it showed that federal taxpayers subsidized ACA plans that cover elective abortions. His office noted that the number of abortion-covering plans identified by GAO increased by 683 compared with the agency’s similar review in 2014.

The Washington Examiner reported that the GAO findings showed federal premium tax credits helped subsidize ACA health plans that cover abortions for millions of enrollees. National Review similarly reported that roughly 26% of ACA exchange plans available in 2026 covered non-excepted abortion services.

The Daily Wire, which first reported on the GAO findings, described the report as evidence that Obamacare plans cover elective abortions while federal law restricts the use of federal funds for those procedures. The report noted that 1,719 of the 6,655 qualified health plans offered nationwide included non-excepted abortion coverage.

GAO’s findings, however, do not state that federal funds were directly used to pay for individual elective abortion procedures. Instead, the report explains that federal law prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for non-excepted abortion services while allowing ACA plans to provide such coverage under certain conditions. GAO also identified instances in which insurers’ practices may have been inconsistent with federal requirements and said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was determining what action to take based on the circumstances.

Lankford’s argument focuses on what he describes as a gap between those federal protections and the way ACA insurance plans are structured.

“As we approach 50 years of Hyde, this Administration should make sure its protections apply to Obamacare plans and restore the Separate Payment Rule so Americans know what their health plan covers,” Lankford said.

The Hyde Amendment, first enacted in 1976, restricts the use of federal funds for abortion except in specified circumstances. Congress is approaching the 50th anniversary of the provision later this month, adding to the timing of the renewed debate over ACA abortion coverage.

The latest GAO report also found that 683 more ACA qualified health plans were available with non-excepted abortion coverage in 2026 than were identified in the agency’s comparable 2014 review. GAO said about 19 million people were enrolled in qualified health plans through federal and state exchanges in 2026.

For Lankford, the findings have revived a policy fight he has pursued for years over abortion coverage, federal subsidies and transparency in Obamacare plans. He is now pressing the Trump administration to restore the Separate Payment Rule as Congress approaches the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment.