There is a bill in the Senate that would require health insurers in Rhode Island to cover contraceptives at no cost, independent of federal law.
Supporters said the goal is to protect contraceptive coverage if the Affordable Care Act's requirements are weakened or overturned.
Newport state Senator Dawn Euer said her bill is urgently needed stating that federal health policy has become more detached from good science and best medical practices.
“The urgent need for this bill has only increased as the years have gone on. When I first introduced this legislation, colleagues questioned why it was necessary, on the grounds that something as essential as birth control would always remain covered,” said Senator Euer. “But in the last few years the opposition to all forms of reproductive rights and health care access has strengthened and polarized, and our federal health policy has grown more and more detached from good science and best medical practices. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate as a whole have repeatedly voted to advance this legislation in past years and I thank again them for recognizing the importance of protecting health care access. Let’s make this the year we enshrine these protections in Rhode Island law before it’s too late.”
There is companion legislation in the House.
(Photo by STEPHANE OUZOUNOFF/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: STEPHANE OUZOUNOFF / AFP / Getty Images