Senator Murkowski joins Colleagues Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Ensure No-Cost Contraception Coverage for All Women

Senator Murkowski joins Colleagues Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Ensure No-Cost Contraception Coverage for All Women

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Susan Collins (R-ME) reintroduced a bipartisan bill to help ensure that all women have full access to no-cost contraception coverage. Currently, private insurance plans and Medicaid are required to cover all types of contraception, such as oral contraception and IUD insertion, at no cost to the patient. However, gaps in coverage remain and affect many women in the Granite State and across the country. The?Closing the Contraception Coverage Gap Act?seeks to close these remaining gaps and ensure that all women can access the best form of contraception for them without a copay or other out-of-pocket costs.

This 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. Approximately one million women aged 20 - 49 rely on Medicare for their health coverage, which they are most often eligible for because of a long-term disability. The bill would additionally direct the Government Accountability Office to identify any remaining gaps in contraception coverage as well.

"Women with disabilities shouldn't face greater barriers to contraception than anyone else," said Senator Murkowski. "While Medicaid and private insurance already guarantee no-cost access to birth control, Medicare still leaves too many women without the same coverage. This bill would fix that by ensuring Medicare covers contraception at no cost to patients, removing a long overdue barrier to access contraception."

"Every woman deserves access to the health care that she needs, and this bipartisan bill seeks to 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 prevented women from accessing coverage for contraception and help ensure that there are no other gaps in this basic form of health care."

"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 these services," 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. 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.