Affordability is Access Act Protects Birth Control Coverage

WASHINGTON - June 10, 2015 - PRLog -- Population Connection Action Fund is proud to support the Affordability is Access Act (S.1532),introduced yesterday by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). It ensures that birth control pills will remain covered by health insurance plans when, and if, they are approved for over-the-counter sales.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, out-of-pocket costs for contraceptives were prohibitive for too many women. It was a key reason why women of reproductive age paid 70 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men of the same age. The birth control benefit has made birth control more affordable and more accessible for more people.

Unlike the bill introduced last week by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Cory Gardner (R-CO)—which would take birth control pills from no co-pay to no coverage—the Affordability is Access Act will protect full coverage of birth control without cost sharing.

In the 50 years since access to birth control was recognized as a constitutionally protected right in the United States it has improved the lives of American women and families in myriad ways. It increased women’s education, women’s economic power, and women’s political participation. All of us have benefited from ensuring that women and couples can plan the timing and spacing of their children.

TheAffordability is Access Act is an important step to protecting access to this important tool for women, and we are thrilled to support it.