Health Care — Fewer people crossing state lines for abortions

Presented by Alliance for Aging Research

View Online Health Care Health Care   PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  More people accessing abortions through telehealth as travel slows  Fewer people living in states with total abortion bans are traveling to access abortion services, but the number of clinician-provided abortions in the U.S. remained stable last year as more people turned to telehealth.  © Getty Images/iStock A new report from the reproductive health nonprofit The Guttmacher Institute found that the number of people crossing state lines to access abortions has dropped by 28,000 between 2023 and 2025.    States like Idaho and Tennessee have passed "abortion-trafficking" laws that penalize residents who travel out of state to receive abortion care.    But the rate of clinician-provided abortion services remained relatively stable with an estimated 1,126,000 abortions performed in the U.S. last year, representing a change of less than 0.2 percent between 2024 and 2025.    Roughly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. are chemical abortions done through the abortion pill. The report found that the number of telehealth provisions increased from about 72,000 to 91,000.    "It makes sense that we'd see a decline in travel. Because people accessing abortion care through telehealth in general then no longer need to travel for care. So it's not surprising, per se, but it is the first time that we've been able to put out specific numbers showing this shift," Guttmacher data scientist Isaac Maddow-Zimet told The Hill.    Maddow-Zimmet highlighted states like Michigan and Illinois as providing a significant number of abortions to out-of-state patients, with the latter accounting for nearly a quart of all non-resident abortions provided last year.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. A MESSAGE FROM ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Fewer people traveled for abortions as telehealth went up: report A new report from the reproductive health nonprofit The Guttmacher Institute found that fewer people are traveling from states with total abortion bans to access abortion services, while the rate of telehealth use for at-home abortions has gone up. In the years following the 2022 Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court, overturning Roe v. Wade, travel across state lines for abortions has gone down. In 2023, about 170,000 people …  Full Story Lyme disease vaccine 70 percent effective: Pfizer A Lyme disease vaccine produced by Pfizer and Valneva was deemed 70 percent effective by the companies after they reviewed the results from a phase 3 trial. If approved by regulators, it would be the only vaccine for humans against Lyme disease.  "Lyme disease can cause potentially serious consequences – where individuals and families face symptoms that can disrupt daily life, work, and long-term health – and there is currently …  Full Story Judge: RFK Jr. overreached in push to restrict gender-affirming for minors A federal judge in Oregon ruled on Thursday that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overreached in his push to restrict transgender health care for minors, according to multiple outlets. Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, an appointee of former President Biden, reportedly found Kennedy did not adhere to proper administrative procedures when he declared in December that gender-affirming health care for transgender …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks' estate over use of her 'stolen' cells to advance medicine Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine. Details of the agreement, which was finalized in federal … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: North Carolina's prison system strained by growing need for long-term care (North Carolina Health News)  On 16th anniversary of Affordable Care Act, Virginia's federal lawmakers and health leaders weigh risks (Virginia Mercury)  New Mexico jury says Meta harms children's mental health and safety, violating state law (The Mercury News)  A MESSAGE FROM ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH   What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: The potential loophole in Trump's plan to get other countries to pay more for drugs (Stat)  It's not just vaccines: Parents are refusing other routine preventive care for newborns (CNN)  New tongue-swab TB test could help eradicate the disease, WHO says (Forbes)  What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Children on the transplant wait list are dying — Congress can save them  The farm bill, in its current state, is a public health failure   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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