As part of the health plan to be created under the Affordable Care Act, Connecticut has decided to include abortion as an “essential health benefit.” The move, which will provide more coverage than the basic federal employee plan does, means that Connecticut residents will have insurance that will pay for elective abortions rather than only those for rape, incest or a woman’s health.

Via the Connecticut Mirror:

“This issue is favorably resolved for all women now in Connecticut,” said Jennifer Jaff, executive director of the group Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness and a member of an advisory committee of the Insurance Exchange Health Plan. “Stripping women of elective abortions is not a tenable option.”

…

“It’s a matter of health. We wanted to protect a woman’s right to chose,” said [Victoria Veltri, the state’s healthcare advocate]. “I didn’t suspect that this would be an issue here.”

The panel approved the measure unanimously.