H.R. 627: Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2025 (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill, known as the Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2025, aims to improve the collection and reporting of abortion data in the United States. Below are the primary components of the legislation:

Findings

The bill begins with several findings by Congress, noting that:

Abortion data reporting has been voluntary, leading to incomplete submissions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There is significant variation in data collected and reported by different states.
No single data point on abortion is reported consistently across all states and the District of Columbia.
Some states, significant by population, do not report any abortion data to the CDC.
Accurate abortion statistics are essential for public health decisions and policy analysis.

Medicaid Payments Contingent on Abortion Data Submission

The bill proposes amendments to the Social Security Act, specifically regarding Medicaid payments for family planning services. Key points include:

States must submit annual abortion data to the CDC's surveillance system as a condition of receiving Medicaid payments for specified family planning services.
The deadline for submission is set for December 31 of the last year, regarding data from the previous year.
If a state fails to report on time but submits data late, it will still receive payments retroactively.
States must certify the accuracy of submitted abortion data. If a state is found to have knowingly submitted false information, it risks losing Medicaid funding for a fiscal year.

CDC Collection of Abortion Data

The bill also mandates the CDC to establish a surveillance system that collects standardized abortion data. Key provisions include:

The CDC will maintain a system that collects aggregate data about abortions across the United States.
A standardized worksheet for states to report abortion data will be created, including both mandatory and optional questions.
Types of data to be collected include maternal age, gestational age, race and ethnicity, abortion method, and whether the child survived the abortion.
Technical assistance will be provided to states to improve their reporting capabilities.
Annual reports will be generated based on the data collected, with publication required within three years following the reporting year.

Conclusion

The overall goal of this legislation is to enhance the accuracy and completeness of abortion data reporting to inform public health initiatives and policy-making.