This bill ties certain Medicaid family planning payments to state reporting of abortion data to the CDC. Today, reporting is voluntary and incomplete; the bill aims to make the data consistent nationwide and easier to compare over time . The CDC must run a national, standardized system that collects aggregate (non-identifying) data and use a common worksheet so every state reports the same core details, such as maternal age, gestational age, race and ethnicity, marital status, prior pregnancies, abortion method, where the mother lives, and whether a child survived the abortion; the system should also allow cross-tabs (for example, age by gestational age).

After a two-year phase-in, states must send these data each year by December 31 for data from two years earlier; if a state misses that deadline but submits by December 31 of the same year, it still receives payment, including retroactive payment. States must certify the accuracy of what they submit; if the CDC finds a state knowingly sent false data, that state loses these Medicaid family planning payments for a full fiscal year. The CDC must publish an annual abortion report using the collected data by December 30 of the third year after the year covered, and provide technical help to states to improve reporting.

Key points

• Who is affected: State governments (Medicaid programs) and the CDC; the rule applies to Medicaid payments for family planning services.
• What changes: Abortion reporting becomes required and standardized nationwide; states must certify accuracy; penalties apply for knowingly false data .
• When: Requirements start after a two-year phase-in; annual state submissions are due by December 31; CDC’s national report is due by December 30 of the third year after the year covered .