Hassan leads efforts to crack down on insurance companies that illegally deny women access to birth control

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is leading a group of 33 of her colleagues in calling on the Biden administration to improve enforcement of the federal law that guarantees complete coverage of birth control for women who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Despite existing law, certain health insurers continue to deny women coverage for birth control and fail to provide coverage for alternative birth control methods when they're deemed medically necessary.

"In New Hampshire and across the country, women's reproductive health care is under attack," Senator Hassan said. "These attacks undermine a woman's ability to participate fully in our economy and control their own destiny – and my push to ensure that women have access to contraception is one piece of our efforts to protect women's health. From the New Hampshire State House to health insurance companies, I will continue to stand up to those who are working to restrict a woman's reproductive freedoms."

In their letter to the administration, the Senators wrote, "At the federal level, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) guaranteed women access to birth control with no out-of-pocket costs. The evidence for the public health benefits of this requirement is clear. Yet since the ACA's passage, certain insurers have not complied with this provision."

The Senators continued, "The Department of Labor (DOL) recently released FAQs acknowledging the reports that some plans continue to deny coverage for birth control and fail to maintain an exceptions policy that allows women to access the best birth control method for their individual health needs. This notice was a good start. We are writing to request that the DOL and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issue specific updated guidance and take the proposed enforcement measures to ensure that plans fully comply with birth control coverage requirements."

Hassan's advocacy comes as women across the country are sharing their stories about their insurers denying them birth control. For example, one woman was denied coverage for a NuvaRing after her insurer told her that the process to get alternative birth control covered by insurance did not exist – which is false. Other woman have shared similar stories of their insurers telling them that an exception process for birth control does not exist, despite language in the law that clearly states that women are guaranteed complete health care coverage for birth control, including alternative birth control if its judged to be medically necessary by a medical provider.