A federal judge in Oregon has invalidated a law requiring insurance coverage of abortion and contraception, leaving patients in the state facing potential out-of-pocket costs for reproductive care

Patients in Oregon seeking abortion or contraceptive care may now face out-of-pocket costs after a federal judge ruled the state’s law mandating no-cost coverage violates the constitutional rights of anti-abortion group Oregon Right to Life. The law had required all health insurance plans in the state to eliminate deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, and other cost-sharing for abortions, contraceptives, and related services like STI screenings. That protection is now suspended pending further court action. The ruling, issued Tuesday, marks a direct shift in financial risk from insurers to individuals. Insurers may begin imposing cost-sharing requirements immediately, though the full scope of the decision will not be clear until next week. For patients, particularly those relying on private insurance, the change means access to time-sensitive care could now hinge on affordability at the point of service. The judge’s decision rests not on the medical necessity of the services, but on the asserted rights of a nonprofit challenging the mandate. The outcome reframes reproductive health coverage in Oregon as legally contested terrain — where financial access is no longer guaranteed by state law.