Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden’s Proposal to Improve Access to Contraceptive Services under the ACA
WASHINGTON – Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration published a proposed rule to ensure that individuals can access no-cost coverage for contraceptive services under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Currently, many individuals covered by employer-sponsored plans and student health insurance plans can be denied coverage for contraceptive services by individuals and entities that claim a religious or moral objection.
“For more than a decade, millions of Americans have been able to count on the Affordable Care Act to access critical preventive care services, including contraceptive services, without having to pay any out-of-pocket costs. These services saved lives, improved the health of millions of Americans, and reduced racial and ethnic health disparities.
“This new proposed rule closes a harmful loophole the Trump administration created in 2018 that allowed employers and universities to circumvent the law based on so-called moral exemptions. Critically, the proposed rule also provides an additional pathway to ensure that women impacted by religious exemptions can still access the care they need without any out-of-pocket costs.
“This announcement is a sigh of relief for Americans who are facing rising costs due to global inflation, and for women whose reproductive health care is under attack after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In short, the proposed rule seeks to reinforce the original purpose of the ACA—ensuring that every American can access affordable, quality health care.”
Under the ACA, private health insurance plans are required to cover preventive care, such as contraceptive services, and other lifesaving services. In September 2022, Committee Democrats released a report examining how this requirement has helped provide access to preventive care for the more than 14 million people with health coverage through the ACA, as well as a vast majority of the people with coverage through their employment. Unfortunately, the preventive care coverage requirement is currently under threat from continued Republican attacks, including a partisan lawsuit in Braidwood Management v. Becerra that seeks to restrict the forms of preventive care that must be covered by insurers.
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