I treated a woman last year named Olivia. Her husband was in the military, and they and their young daughter were covered through his insurance. Olivia was 17 weeks pregnant and had found out that her fetus had Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a condition that affects the brain and other organs and is generally lethal. Most babies with this condition die in utero or shortly after birth. Olivia was devastated. I remember she came in with her sister; her husband was then stationed in Iraq. Olivia felt that she could not continue her pregnancy. However, military health insurance will only cover abortion when the woman’s life is in danger. The insurance company considered an abortion in this heartbreaking situation to be “elective” and could not be convinced to pay for the procedure. Olivia paid $3,000 out of pocket for her care. Coming up with the funds was a tremendous hardship on her and her one-year-old daughter. The harsh restrictions in Olivia’s insurance coverage made an already tragic situation that much more difficult.