Automatic Coverage for 'Elective' Abortion Given to Students in This Ultra-Conservative State

Hundreds of international students have been automatically enrolled in insurance that covers "elective abortion" at a university located in a state that's been called the most conservative in the country.

The College Fix reports that this is happening at the University of Wyoming, where students from outside the US automatically receive the school's student health insurance plan.

The chief risk officer in the school's Office of Risk Management, Laura Betzold, told the news outlet in an email that "the UW student insurance plans for domestic and international students, offered through UnitedHealthcare StudentResources, cover both medically necessary and elective abortion."

The school's website states:

"...international (non-citizen) students are automatically enrolled in the medical insurance each semester. International students may waive the University of Wyoming Student Medical Insurance if their circumstances meet requirements."

The College Fix reports that the students don't have to be enrolled if they acquire another form of insurance through a waiver policy. That insurance, among other things, must meet or exceed "the minimum requirements established by the federal government for exchange visitors...."

Betzold said alternative insurance policies are not required to cover abortion, according to the news outlet.

She went on to say that this fall, the University of Wyoming has enrolled more than 600 international students in the school insurance plan and granted more than 100 waivers.

"Students are provided electronic access to a summary brochure and a detailed policy document with all policy terms, including coverages and exclusions," Betzold said.

The College Fix asked the state's pro-life governor, Matt Mead, to comment on the university's health insurance. His chief of staff, Kari Jo Gray, responded in an email that the plan is 100 percent funded by students in the health program.

"No state money is provided for the plan," she said. "The United Health Plan submitted the most competitive bid to the University of Wyoming, providing ACA compliance and affordable fees for students who elect to participate in the plan."

Gray added, "Governor Mead is pro-life."

Harvard University, Boston University and the University of California, Los Angeles, are other schools that cover elective abortions, The Fix reported.