A new report recommends that health insurance plans offer women contraception without charging out-of-pocket fees, such as copayments or deductibles.
The report was released Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine, which advises the U.S. government on health issues, the WSJ's Katherine Hobson reports. It was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify gaps in health-care coverage for women.
The report recommends that insurers cover contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration as well as sterilization and patient counseling as a way to prevent unintended pregnancies and to help women space their pregnancies over time. There is an increased risk of adverse outcomes for pregnancies that occur within 18 months of a prior pregnancy, the report said.
The committee didn't address the issue of how much its recommendations would cost insurers or businesses and consumers purchasing insurance, so it is unclear how much premiums would rise, if at all, if the recommendations were adopted.
Contraceptive coverage is controversial. Some conservative groups like the Family Research Council oppose mandates to make birth-control coverage free, arguing that people who don't support contraception shouldn’t have to subsidize its use by others, Hobson reports.
The health-care overhaul law requires insurance plans to cover certain preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs for policyholders. The Department of Health and Human Services, which will decide what goes on the list of free health services for women, said in a statement it is “reviewing the report closely” and will release its recommendations "very soon."
By Rachel Emma Silverman - blogs.wsj.com
The report was released Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine, which advises the U.S. government on health issues, the WSJ's Katherine Hobson reports. It was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to identify gaps in health-care coverage for women.
The report recommends that insurers cover contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration as well as sterilization and patient counseling as a way to prevent unintended pregnancies and to help women space their pregnancies over time. There is an increased risk of adverse outcomes for pregnancies that occur within 18 months of a prior pregnancy, the report said.
The committee didn't address the issue of how much its recommendations would cost insurers or businesses and consumers purchasing insurance, so it is unclear how much premiums would rise, if at all, if the recommendations were adopted.
Contraceptive coverage is controversial. Some conservative groups like the Family Research Council oppose mandates to make birth-control coverage free, arguing that people who don't support contraception shouldn’t have to subsidize its use by others, Hobson reports.
The health-care overhaul law requires insurance plans to cover certain preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs for policyholders. The Department of Health and Human Services, which will decide what goes on the list of free health services for women, said in a statement it is “reviewing the report closely” and will release its recommendations "very soon."
By Rachel Emma Silverman - blogs.wsj.com
