Rep. Kazarian introduces bill that safeguards access to contraception in RI

State House – Rep. Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence) has introduced legislation (2018-H 7625) that would require health insurance plans to provide coverage for a 12-month supply of birth control to all those who are insured, as well as their spouses or dependents.
“This act would preserve the Affordable Care Act’s regulation that contraception is a preventive health care measure and thus not subject to patient cost-sharing. The bill would allow up to a full year of prescribing and dispensing of contraception and cover over-the-counter contraception when prescribed. With constant threats and attempts from Washington to repeal the ACA, it is imperative that we ensure Rhode Island’s women have open access to birth control and other contraception services,” said Representative Kazarian.
The bill would protect access to contraception in Rhode Island, regardless of what happens nationally with efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It would ensure affordability and accessibility of the most effective forms of contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) options such as IUDs and implants. It would also protect the current zero cost-sharing for contraception by preserving in RI law the ACA provision that says birth control is a preventive health care service.
If passed, health care providers would be able to prescribe birth control up to a full year at a time, and would ensure it is covered without a co-pay. Massachusetts passed similar legislation in November 2017, and other states have also taken steps to ensure residents continue to have access to affordable contraception.