Proposed Law Protects Contraception Coverage

The ACA and Contraception

The passage of the Affordable Care Act brought important changes to insurance coverage for Women. These include a wide range of preventative health services which are provided without co-payments or co-insurance. These services include STD screening, mammograms, and support for Breast feeding (a complete list is here ). Especially relevant for many women, the ACA provided access and coverage for a wide choice of contraception choices. With the change in administrations, there has been much reporting about the desire of the incoming President and Congress to repeal the ACA. Importantly, this is a change that could have significant negative effects for many women and their families.

A Proposed Solution…

Wondering what might happen to your contraceptive coverage if the Affordable Care Act is repealed? Well, in New York State, we may have more protection than women in other states, especially if Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s planned Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act of 2017 (“CCCA”) comes to fruition. If passed in its entirety, contraceptive coverage in New York state may even improve.

The proposed law requires that insurers in New York cover all FDA-approved contraceptives in full, including emergency contraception. It also improves coverage for male contraceptives. Finally, it enables women to access their birth control method easily, without “medical management” or delay of coverage. The proposed law would even allow women to get a year’s supply of contraceptive at a time. You read that right – an entire year! While what eventually makes it into law remains unknown, this is an important topic to watch. In the meanwhile, we at Women’s Care are always happy to help you find the right contraceptive for you if the time is right.