HHS Contraceptives
Moreover, HHS “said that insurers must cover genetic testing and counseling for certain women who have a family The New York Times 
(5/12, A12, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that the Administration yesterday “put health insurance companies on notice that they must cover all forms of female contraception, including the patch and intrauterine devices, without imposing co-payments or other charges.” history of breast or ovarian cancer.” Said Secretary Burwell, “Tens of millions of women are eligible to receive coverage of recommended preventive services without having to pay a copay or deductible. ... Today we are clarifying these coverage requirements.”
The Hill (5/12, Sullivan) notes that the Kaiser Family Foundation had “reported last month that some insurers were not providing all 18 forms of contraception at no charge,” while a separate study from the National Women’s Law Center “found problems with coverage of the vaginal ring, the patch and an intrauterine device (IUD).” However, “America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the insurers’ trade group, had condemned that study as presenting a ‘distorted picture of reality.’” Yesterday, the Washington Times (5/12, Howell) reports, the National Women’s Law Center “quickly declared victory,” saying in a statement, “Insurance companies have been breaking the law and, today, the Obama administration underscored that it will not tolerate these violations.” The Wall Street Journal (5/12, Radnofsky, Subscription Publication) runs a similar report, in which it notes the political controversy sparked by the ACA’s contraceptive provisions.
New York Attorney General Wants ACA Contraceptive Provisions As State Law. The Washington Times (5/12, Howell) reports that New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman yesterday “proposed legislation...to write Obamacare’s birth-control requirements into state law, extending no-cost services even to men as watchdogs accused insurers of violating the spirit – if not the letter – of the health overhaul by forcing women to pay out of pocket for their preferred contraceptives.” Schneiderman’s bill “would force every state-regulated health policy to cover all forms of FDA-approved contraceptives, free of cost – a key promise of the Affordable Care Act.”
