Sources of Revenue:

General Fund

Legislation creates:

Neither Program nor Fund

Fiscal Note Summary

Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit moneys from any state fund or funding source to be expended for any abortion unless the abortion qualifies for federal funding under Medicaid. The Department currently funds abortions through the Medicaid program with 100% state dollars and estimates this will would reduce expenditures by $245,520 based on State Fiscal Year 2008 payments for abortion services.

Fiscal Note Detail

Effect of Proposal	Fiscal Year
Effect of Proposal	2009 Increase/Decrease (use"-")	2010 Increase/Decrease (use"-")	Fiscal Year (Upon Full Implementation)
1. Estmated Total Cost	0	-245,520	-245,520
Personal Services	0	0	0
Current Expenses	0	0	0
Repairs and Alterations	0	0	0
Assets	0	0	0
Other	0	-245,520	-245,520
2. Estimated Total Revenues	0	0	0

Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):

The above reflects the estimate of the savings in state dollars by not covering abortions. This estimate is based on the payments made for abortion services during SFY 2008. It does not provide an estimate of any anticipated cost increase of choosing to deliver the baby as an alternative to the abortion.

Memorandum

This legislation could significantly increase costs for the Department's Bureau for Medical Services (BMS). It is difficult to determine the actual fiscal impact of the change in funding policy because it would require estimates of the number of births that would have occurred if Medicaid funding for abortion had continued. The BMS would incur additional costs associated with prenatal care, delivery and postpartum care for the mother and a minimum of 1 year of health care related cost for babies, including high cost neonatal intensive care services.

Person submitting Fiscal Note: Martha Yeager Walker
Email Address: dhhrbudgetoffice@wv.gov