Senators Hassan, Murkowski, Duckworth, and Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure No-Cost Contraception Coverage for All Women

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bipartisan bill to help ensure full access to no-cost contraception coverage for all women. Currently, private insurance and Medicaid must cover all types of contraception, such as oral contraception and IUD insertion, at no cost to the patient. The Closing the Contraception Coverage Gap Act seeks to close any remaining gaps in order to ensure that all women can get the best form of contraception for them without a copay.

The bipartisan bill would require Medicare to also cover contraception at no cost to the patient, closing a known gap in contraception coverage for young and middle-aged women who experience long-term disabilities. One million women aged 20 - 49 receive health coverage from Medicare, which they most often are eligible for because of a long-term disability. The bill would additionally require the Government Accountability Office to analyze if there are any other contraception coverage gaps so that they can be closed as well.

"Every woman should be able to get the health care that's right for her, and this bipartisan bill will help ensure that all women can access no-cost contraception under all insurance plans," said Senator Hassan. "This bill will close a gap that has stopped many women from getting coverage for contraception and help ensure that there are no other gaps in coverage."

"I am co-leading this legislation because women should not face further barriers to access contraception," Senator Murkowski said. "This legislation would secure access to, and coverage for, contraception for the roughly 1 million women of reproductive age with long-term disabilities covered by Medicare, ensuring parity with coverage offered by Medicaid and private insurance."

"There's no reason that women with disabilities should have a harder time accessing birth control than anyone else," said Senator Duckworth. "By requiring Medicare to cover birth control without any cost to patients, our bipartisan bill would make sure all beneficiaries have equal access to birth control. It's long overdue."

"Unlike Medicaid and private insurance, which generally cover most FDA-approved contraceptive methods and services without cost to patients, Medicare coverage leaves thousands of women without the same access to reproductive health care," said Senator Collins. "This bipartisan bill would require Medicare to cover contraception methods and services at no cost to patients, removing a significant barrier to health care for women who qualify for Medicare because of a long-term disability."

This bill has been endorsed by leading reproductive and disability rights groups, including the American Association of People with Disabilities.

"Though the disability community is often left out of discussions about sex education, safer sex, and reproductive rights, many disabled people have active sex lives and are capable of getting pregnant. In addition, many people take contraceptives for reasons other than preventing pregnancy or managing their reproductive health. AAPD strongly supports bodily autonomy and access to reproductive choice, including multiple contraceptive options, for all disabled people, and recognizes bodily autonomy as a core value of the disability rights movement. All people with disabilities deserve access to numerous options for contraception so that they may elect the option that works best for their lives, their bodies, and their wallets," said Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. "Disabled people on Medicare should not face financial penalties for exercising this choice - the provision that requires the Affordable Care Act to cover contraceptives for free exists for good reason and should be extended to the many disabled people who receive healthcare coverage through Medicare. The Closing the Contraception Coverage Gap Act would address this important issue, and AAPD is proud to support this important bill. We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Hassan, Collins, Duckworth, and Murkowski in sponsoring this bill."

This legislation has also been endorsed by Upstream, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, National Women's Law Center, National Partnership for Women & Families, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, New Disabled South, National Council of Jewish Women, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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