The California Legislature is considering a bill (SB 999) that would require health insurers to cover up to 12 months' worth of contraception at a time, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.
The bill, proposed by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D), passed the state Senate earlier this year and is now being considered by the state Assembly, which has until the end of August to advance the legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
Background
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013 recommended that women who use contraception receive up to a 12-month supply of contraception per provider visit. The agency noted policies that cap contraceptive supplies could force women to discontinue birth control before they wanted to and increase the rate of unintended pregnancy. Separately, a 2011 study from the University of California-San Francisco found that the unintended pregnancy rate dropped by 30 percent when women could receive a 12-month supply of contraception, compared with a 30- or 90-day supply.
According to the AP/Bee, Washington, D.C. and at least five states have passed legislation that requires insurers to cover longer-term supplies of contraception.
California bill
The bill would cover hormonal contraception, including oral contraception, the ring and the patch. The bill also includes plans managed through Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program.
Pavley said requiring insurers to cover longer-term supplies of contraception will make it easier for women to use birth control consistently. Experts have noted that missing a single dose of hormonal contraception can counteract an extended period of regular use. According to Pavley, the bill also would reduce the frequency with which a woman must refill her prescription at a pharmacy.
Further, Pavley stated that there is no medical reason to limit the supply of contraception a plan must cover. "Women are smart enough to carefully administer and use these drugs appropriately," she said, adding that hormonal contraception has "been measured ... and [is] safe."
Supporters of the bill also have noted that while some women might switch their contraceptive method within a 12-month period, the bill would not require a woman to receive a 12-month supply of contraception if she prefers a shorter-term supply.
Comments
Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California, praised the bill. "We need to do all we can to ensure that every child is a wanted child, and part of that is being able to use birth control as effectively as possible," she said.
Separately, Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies (ACLHIC) and the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP) voiced concerns over the bill as currently written. The organizations have asked that Pavley amend the bill to permit insurers to ask providers to stabilize a patient on a particular form of hormonal contraception before authorizing a 12-month supply. Steffanie Watkins, vice president of health policy at ACLHIC, noted that between 10 and 33 percent of women try multiple contraceptive methods over the course of a year.
In addition, ACLHIC and CAHP asked Pavley to postpone the bill's start date for an additional year, to Jan. 1, 2018 (Costello, AP/Sacramento Bee, 8/14).
