Biden admin floats expanded contraception coverage
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Birth control pills. Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images
Health insurers would be required to cover over-the-counter birth control and additional FDA-approved contraceptives without cost-sharing under a proposal the Biden administration unveiled on Monday.
Why it matters: The effort is aimed at keeping a focus on reproductive health in the final weeks before the election while expanding the Affordable Care Act's mandate that insurers cover at least one form of each FDA-approved contraception method at no cost.
The big picture: If finalized, the policy would be the biggest expansion of birth control insurance coverage since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2012, administration officials said.
- In addition to Opill, the first FDA-approved birth control that doesn't require a prescription, the policy would expand that no-cost coverage to all over-the-counter birth control like emergency contraception and spermicide, officials said.
- Plans would have to take steps to make sure enrollees know about these new coverage provisions.
The rule would also require plans to cover every FDA-approved contraceptive without cost-sharing, unless the plan covers a therapeutic equivalent.
- Currently, the ACA requires most private health insurance plans to cover only one drug per category of contraception, which can make it difficult for enrollees to get the specific birth control they want.
What they're saying: "The Biden-Harris administration is issuing this proposed rule at a time when reproductive rights are under attack, and Republican elected officials remain committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act," a fact sheet on the proposed rule reads.
Yes, but: The policy, which is subject to a 60-day comment period, likely won't be finalized by the end of the administration and could be overturned by a future president.
Catch up quick: Democrats and reproductive rights advocates have long complained that some insurers are denying coverage of some birth control or improperly charging women for contraception.
- The issue gained prominence after the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion.
- Those barriers to coverage are limiting access to newer forms of birth control that are more effective and have fewer side effects, the advocates say.
