Court Ruling Ensures Women’s Access to Contraceptive Care

SACRAMENTO, California, Dec. 15 -- The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:

Today, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted a preliminary injunction in the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Trump as to both the religious exemption and moral exemption rules of the Trump Administration regulations. The Trump Administration rules would allow employers to exclude contraceptive coverage mandated by the Affordable Care Act from their employees' health insurance policies.

Last month, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones submitted a declaration in State of California v. Wright, a related case, providing evidence that demonstrates the harms to women if the Trump rule denying women access to contraceptives is permitted to remain in effect.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health insurance policies must cover contraceptives. Tens of millions of women across the nation benefit from the ACA provision that requires health insurance coverage of contraceptives without any co-pays or deductibles. Today's action by a Pennsylvania court is a relief to all of us fighting to ensure that women have access to contraceptives. President Trump's rule that is now subject to a nationwide temporary injunction would otherwise permit employers to interfere with women's constitutionally protected right to make their own health care decisions by allowing employers to deny women access to contraceptives.

Before the ACA was in effect, I spoke to women who could not always afford to fill their prescriptions for contraceptives. President Trump's regulations would prevent some women from being able to make fundamental decisions about reproductive health care for themselves. Trump's rule, if allowed to stand, would deprive women of their rights and access to basic health care services, while increasing the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions. The federal judge in Pennsylvania acknowledged that Trump's anti-contraceptive rules are contrary to federal law. Women will suffer serious and irreparable harm if these rules are in place and we will continue to do everything in our power to prevent that from occurring."

The California Department of Insurance, established in 1868, is the largest consumer protection agency in California. Insurers collect $289 billion in premiums annually in California. Since 2011 the California Department of Insurance received more than 1,000,000 calls from consumers and helped recover over $394 million in claims and premiums. Please visit the Department of Insurance web site at www.insurance.ca.gov. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800.927.HELP or 213.897.8921. Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD), please dial 800.482.4833.