Clarifying Coverage for Repro Health Care in New York

Insurance coverage of the full spectrum of reproductive health care services, including abortion, is critical to ensure that all people can control their own bodies, their health, and their futures.

In 2017, NIRH successfully fought for no-copay coverage of abortion and contraception for all state-regulated insurance plans in New York. However, many New Yorkers are covered by employer-provided self-funded plans that are governed by federal law and do not have to comply with state-level requirements.

Following advocacy by NIRH to ensure that all New Yorkers understood their rights, in July 2019,  New York released a new regulation that requires state-regulated health plans to indicate on health insurer ID cards that they must comply with New York State requirements on coverage for abortion and contraception.

This new regulation will ensure that New Yorkers have access to vital information about their health plans and that those covered by state-regulated health plans receive the consumer protections to which they are entitled.