Securing Insurance Coverage for Abortion and Contraception in New York

In 2017, New York issued four different regulations that affirm access to insurance coverage for abortion and contraception in New York State, protect access to insurance coverage for all New Yorkers if the federal government repeals or restricts the ACA, and improve conditions for women who are incarcerated. The abortion and contraception regulations are wide-ranging and, when implemented, will ensure that women have full access to those services in the state without having to pay coinsurance or copayments or meet a deductible. Under these regulations, doctors in New York can instruct pharmacists to dispense 12 months of birth control at once, safeguarding against unintended pregnancies that can happen in lapses between prescriptions for birth control and helping ensure that those unable to reach pharmacists easily have access to a full year of coverage. To ensure this success, NIRH lobbied the administration for and organized over 200 comments on the contraception regulations to ensure the narrowest possible religious exemption.