110100 MEDICAID TO COVER NEW ABORTION PILL

 By KENNETH LOVETT 

 ALBANY - The state's health-insurance plan for the poor will cover the controversial new abortion pill, The Post has learned.

State officials say the Medicaid program, which already covers surgical abortion, will pay for the new RU-486 pill when it hits the market in coming months.  

The controversial pill was approved last month by the federal Food and Drug Administration.  

State officials say they are bound by federal law to cover the drug, although experts say that isn't true. States can prohibit Medicaid from covering abortions, they say.

"We intend on honoring the federal approval and covering this drug under Medicaid," state Health Department spokesman Robert Kenny said.

With Medicaid already paying for abortion procedures in New York, offering access to RU-486 would merely be an extension of that service, Kenny said.

The decision brought strong criticism from anti-abortionists.

"Clearly, taxpayers shouldn't be footing the bill for this," said Michael Long, chairman of the state Conservative Party.

"There are an awful lot of people who are sick in hospitals who don't get full coverage, and it doesn't make sense that here we are going to supply these pills at no cost," Long said.

Among those making strong objections to the new pill is the Vatican, which yesterday accused those who distribute and prescribe the pill of being "morally responsible" for an abortion.

It urged those in the health sector to become "conscientious objectors" against "new hidden forms of aggression" against human life.

Gov. Pataki's position on publicly funded abortions has changed over the years.

As a state legislator, Pataki regularly voted against Medicaid funding for abortions, and enjoyed strong support from anti-abortion organizations.

As governor, he has maintained he is pro-choice, except for late-term abortions.

Federal money can be used to fund abortions only in cases of rape, incest and when the mother's life is in danger. But Medicaid funds can be used more expansively, including for "medically necessary" abortions.

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