Women are paying for birth control when they shouldn't have to

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has asked a government watchdog to investigate. Here's what you need to know.

Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, asked a government watchdog to investigate why insurance companies charge women for birth control - a decision that has put access to contraceptives back in the spotlight.

In a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the senator noted that insurance companies were charging Americans for contraceptives that under federal law should be free — and that they were also refusing calls from consumers who were looking to have their contraceptives covered. Some experts believe these practices could affect access to birth control for millions of women.

Since 2012, the Affordable Care Act has required that health plans Private insurance covers "all" contraceptives for women approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including female sterilizations, emergency contraceptives and any new products authorized by the F.D.A. The mandate also covers services associated with contraceptives , such as counseling, insertions or withdrawals, and follow-up care.

This means that consumers should not have any co-payments associated with in-network providers, even if They haven't met their deductibles Some plans may cover only generic versions of certain contraceptives, but patients are still entitled to coverage for a specific product that their providers deem medically necessary. Medicaid plans have a similar provision; The only exception to this mandate is plans sponsored by employers or colleges that have religious or moral objections.

Yet many insurers continue to charge for contraceptives - some in the form of co-payments, others by denying coverage altogether.

In his letter, Senator Sanders said cited a recent survey conducted by KFF, a nonprofit health organization. a research organization that found that about 25 percent of women with private insurance plans reported paying at least part of the cost of their contraception; 16 percent reported that their insurance plans provided partial coverage and 6 percent reported that their plans did not cover contraceptives at all. Additionally, a 2022 congressional investigation, which analyzed 68 health plans, found that the process of requesting exceptions and coverage for contraceptives was "burdensome" for consumers and that insurance companies denied, on average, at least 40% of exception requests. p>

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