New York Regulations Will Secure Insurance Coverage for Abortion and Contraception with No Copays
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2017
Contact: Andrew Stern, 646-896-4797
Statement by National Institute for Reproductive Health President Andrea Miller
“Today, Governor Cuomo announced new regulations that bolster women’s access to reproductive health care by ensuring that insurance plans cover abortion and contraception without copays or other cost-sharing requirements.
“I applaud Governor Cuomo, and Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo, for holding insurers accountable so that women in New York receive the kind of coverage they need and deserve for the full range of reproductive health care services. As we face new attacks from the White House, the Congress, and state legislatures, New York is setting an important example of how states can take affirmative steps to advance women’s health and well-being.
“The regulations make clear that medically necessary abortions and contraceptive drugs and devices must be covered by commercial health plans without co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles, and that birth control coverage is not limited to a single month’s supply. This provides welcome assurance to women in New York, who have at times found information about and coverage for these services to be inconsistent, confusing, or lacking.
“Governor Cuomo’s action also serves as a fitting counterpoint to President Trump’s first set of executive orders aimed at gutting the Affordable Care Act, whose guarantee of no copays for contraception has saved women and their families roughly $1.4 billion in out-of-pocket expenses. It is especially appropriate – and heartening – that this announcement comes on the eve of the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, on a day when we march together for equality and dignity with millions of women across the nation.”
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The National Institute for Reproductive Health works across the country to increase access to reproductive health care by changing public policy, galvanizing public support, and normalizing women’s decisions to have abortions and use contraception.