‘A birth is more expensive than an abortion’: CO Dems argue fiscal virtues of liberal health care bill

The speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives argued in a recent committee hearing on a new "pregnancy-related services" bill that "averted births" could lead to cost savings for the state and its Medicaid program.

Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, seated as a bill-sponsor witness during a Health and Human Services Committee hearing in Denver last week, was pressed on her argument that the bill would "decrease costs for our health care policy and financing department [and] Medicaid expenditures."

"[T]he savings from averted births outweigh the cost of covering reproductive health care for all Coloradans," McCluskie said, adding the bill will require abortions to be state-funded so as to avoid "potential interference" from the feds. 

McCluskie claimed the bill is a response to voters ap...