Viagra But Not Birth Control? Tell Insurance Companies to Cover Contraceptives!
98% of American women use some form of birth control during their reproductive years. Yet not all insurance companies cover prescription birth control. What's worse, some of the insurance carriers that DON'T cover birth control DO cover drugs like viagra. Doesn't sound fair, does it?
Congress is sitting on a bill that would require health insurers that cover prescription drugs to cover prescription contraceptives equally. By guaranteeing that insurers cover prescription contraception to the same extent as other drugs, contraceptive equity laws help ensure women's access to birth control and ultimately prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion.
This sounds like a no-brainer. Employers and insurers that cover Viagra should cover women's prescription birth control.
Despite bipartisan sponsorship, the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act ("EPICC": S.1214/H.R.4651) has languished in
Congress since 1997.
As a result, only twenty-four of our fifty states require insurers to cover prescription birth control if they cover other prescription drugs. We've waited long enough! Sign the petition urging Congress to make prescription drugs and prescription contraceptives equally covered under federal law.
Dear Senator,
I am writing to urge you to cosponsor or support the Equity in Prescription Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act ("EPICC": S.1214/H.R.4651).
Women deserve equal treatment for health needs such as birth control. Without federal legislation, too many health insurance plans and employers will continue to treat women's health needs in a second-class manner, excluding contraceptives from insurance coverage. Women pay more out-of-pocket for their health needs than men do, in large measure due to the exclusion of contraceptives from so many plans. Women, not insurers or employers, should be able to make personal decisions regarding birth control for themselves. Moreover, improving access to contraception is the responsible way to reduce unintended pregnancy and
thus the need for abortion.
Please support this commonsense legislation and let me know your opinion on this issue.
Sincerely,
