Who We Support

Vermont Access aims to help as many callers as possible each year by providing direct financial support, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to reproductive health care.  No situation is the same, but each and every conversation illustrates the importance of accessing abortion.  These are just a few of the thousands of folx we’ve spoken with since the start of our fund nearly twenty years ago.

Orange County:

A single mother of three struggling with a lack of familial support and recently unemployed due to the COVID 19 pandemic was unsure how she would afford the cost of her appointment while relying on a weekly unemployment check of $170 and without insurance.  Vermont Access was able to cover the full cost of her appointment. 

Bennington County: 

Calling our hotline between two jobs, this 38 year old patient reported making “slightly too much” for Medicaid coverage and needed to cover the cost of a medication abortion on her own.  Delaying care by one week would have meant traveling hours to the nearest surgical abortion provider, requiring coordination of childcare, missed wages from her job, and cost of transportation.  Vermont Access was able to raise the funds within 24 hours through a call to our social media followers. 

Chittenden County:

A week before Christmas, we spoke with a 39 year old who had arrived at her appointment and was surprised to find that her Medicaid was not currently active, leaving her to cover the $550 cost on her own.  With money tight around the holidays and in the process of adopting her grandson from foster care, her pregnancy was entirely unexpected.  She was able to contribute $50, while Vermont Access covered the remainder, ensuring she could access the care she needed. 

Lamoille County:

One day prior to her procedure, we spoke with a 31 year old currently struggling with substance misuse encountering barriers to treatment due to Medicare insurance coverage.  Her Medicare also did not cover the cost of an abortion.  Without financial support from Vermont Access, she would have needed to cancel her appointment and further delay care.

Windsor County: 

A 22 year old caller initially called one week prior to her appointment and estimated that she could bring half of the $550 cost.  One day before her appointment, her paycheck had been delayed and she was unable to contribute any amount.  Funding from Vermont Access enabled her to avoid delaying her appointment further.