The National Campaign Comments on Essential Health Benefits Bulletin
On January 27, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy submitted comments, in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) “Essential Health Benefits Bulletin” issued December 16, 2011. The Essential Health Benefits will define what insurance plans in the state health exchanges and Medicaid benchmark plans will be required to cover.
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Administration Announces Final Rule for Contraceptive Coverage in the Preventive Services Provision
On January 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that a final rule will require most health plans to cover contraceptive services without co-pays or deductibles, effective August 1, 2012. The Department chose to continue the relatively narrow conscience exemption for certain religious organizations but chose to give these organizations an additional year, until August 1, 2013 to comply.
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HHS Announces Coverage of All Contraceptives With No Out-of-Pocket Costs
On August 1, 2011 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that HHS will adopt the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Women’s Preventive Services Study Committee and require health insurers to cover “all Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity” without co-pays or deductibles for patients. HHS also adopted all seven other IOM women’s preventive services recommendations including at least one well-woman preventive care visit annually for women. HHS also issued a “notice of proposed rulemaking” that allows certain religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services, subject to a 60-day comment period.
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Briefly - Policy Brief: The Benefits of Expanding Medicaid Family Planning
Expanding access to Medicaid family planning services reduces unplanned pregnancy and produces substantial cost savings for state and federal budgets. States should expand Medicaid family planning through either a waiver or state plan amendment. Both options yield significant cost savings and ensure that Medicaid family planning services are more widely available to the women and men who need them.
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New England Journal of Medicine Says Contraception Should Be Covered At No Cost
The New England Journal of Medicine released a report recommending the inclusion of prescription birth control among the women’s preventive services that will be covered with no co-pays for patients. The report stated "Contraception is the quintessential preventive care service.”
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The National Campaign Comments on Student Health Insurance Coverage
The National Campaign submitted comments on a proposed rule from HHS for student health insurance plans and how the Affordable Care Act applies to them. Our comments stressed the importance of access to contraceptive supplies and services for this population.”
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The National Campaign Urges Inclusion of Contraception on Healthcare.gov
On March 14 The National Campaign Sent a Letter to Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary of Health. The letter urged the inclusion of information about contraception on the government’s health care reform website, Healthcare.gov. This information has not yet been included, but the Campaign is hopeful that it will be in the future.”
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The National Campaign Submits “Making the Case: Family Planning is a Key Preventive Service” to IOM Women’s Preventive Services Study Committee
On November 16, 2010, Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign, testified before the IOM Women’s Preventive Services Committee. Ms. Brown addressed the need for the committee to take a broad view of what defines prevention, while addressing both the immediate preventive health benefits of family planning and the broader, more long-term benefits to children, families, and society. Ms. Brown also submitted a paper making the case for family planning as a preventive service.
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Briefly: Lessons Learned from Massachusetts: Effects on Young Adults' Access to Contraceptive Services (2010)
With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) – P. L. 111-148 – on March 23, 2010, the focus of health reform immediately shifted to implementation. As federal and state policymakers, health insurance plans, providers, and others take action to implement the new law, it is instructive to consider some lessons from Massachusetts. This brief specifically reviews some of the lessons with respect to young adults’ access to contraceptive services.
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Briefly - Policy Brief: Promoting Healthy Pregnancies and Families Through Home Visiting Programs (2010)
The Affordable Care Act provides $1.5 billion over five years for evidence-based home visitation services to improve outcomes for children and families who reside in at-risk communities. Expanded investments in home visiting offer an important opportunity to ensure that families at the highest risk receive education, services, and support to discuss their goals for family size and spacing, and to plan accordingly. This brief discusses several home visiting programs that currently address these issues and identifies opportunities to incorporate family spacing as the federal government and states implement the new home visiting funding.
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Research from Ibis Reproductive Health
Ibis Reproductive Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Family Planning Program collaborated to assess young adults’ access to contraception in the wake of Massachusetts Health Care Reform. The research project includes a review of young adult-targeted health plans and focus group discussions with women and men ages 18 to 26. Research yielded that many young adults were unclear about the various provisions of the new health care reform law and the full range of contraceptive options available to them. In addition, results demonstrate that the young adult-targeted health plans may not provide a full range of contraceptive services for this population. Summaries and full reports are available here:
- Young adults & the coverage of contraceptive services in the wake of health care reform: Results from an assessment of young adult-targeted health plans in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Summary
Full Report - Young adults, health insurance & access to contraception in the wake of health care reform: Results from focus group discussions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Summary
Full Report
The National Campaign Statement on Signing of H.R. 3590 and Passage of H.R. 4872
On March 25, 2010, Congress passed H.R. 4872, the Reconciliation Act of 2010. The passage of this budget reconciliation package includes important previously agreed upon modifications to the Senate health reform legislation (H.R. 3590 – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) which was passed earlier in the week. The National Campaign released the following statement on the signing of H.R. 3590 and the passage of H.R. 4872.
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Summary of Provisions Related to Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. This landmark health reform legislation, which will be phased in over the next four years, includes numerous provisions to improve the nation’s health care system, including several related to teen and unplanned pregnancy. The following chart provides a brief synopsis of the provisions that are related to these critical social issues.
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National Campaign Statement on Passage of Landmark Health Reform Legislation
On March 21, 2010, the United States House of Representatives passed HR. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, by a vote of 219-212.
The passage of the health reform measure, which was previously approved by the U.S. Senate in December, clears the way for the package to be signed into law by the President early this week. The National Campaign released the following statement on this ground breaking legislation.
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Health Care Reform Priorities
The following document was created in response to the release of the Senate Finance Committee’s Chairman’s mark. It outlines The National Campaign’s top policy priorities in health reform.
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Health Care Reform Priorities
Support for the Mikulski Amendment
The following one-pager outlines an amendment offered by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) that would create cost-sharing protections for women’s health preventive services. The document also addresses why this amendment is critical for Congress to maintain as it continues its efforts on health reform.
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Support for the Mikulski Amendment
Thank you letter to Sen. Stabenow
National Campaign CEO Sarah Brown wrote a letter to Senator Stabenow commending her for her leadership on including an amendment to create a new Medicaid Family Planning State Plan Option in the Senate Finance Committee’s health reform bill. The amendment would allow states to expand eligibility for family planning services under Medicaid up to its level for pregnancy-related care. Download the letter
Fast Facts: Existing Family Planning Coverage in Public and Private Insurance Systems
As lawmakers advance health reform, it is necessary to ensure that affordability is not achieved at the expense of quality. One key marker of achieving this balance will be providing coverage for at least the benefits already in most typical health insurance plans. Family planning services are widely used and widely supported and are also covered by most public and private insurance plans or systems. In fact, family planning services are a core element of several public programs. The following fact sheet highlights existing coverage of family planning services and supplies in the public and private insurance plans.
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National Campaign Comments on Finance Coverage Options
In response to the Senate Finance Committee’s request for comment on its proposal, Expanding Health Care Coverage: Proposals to Provide Affordable Coverage to All Americans, The National Campaign submitted the following to ensure that opportunities for promoting pregnancy planning and prevention are fully integrated into the Committee’s health reform efforts.
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Briefly - Policy Brief: Health Care Reform
Given the health, economic, and social consequences of unplanned pregnancy for taxpayers and families, policymakers should consider a number of specific policy areas where there are opportunities to improve pregnancy planning and prevention within the context of health
care reform efforts. This brief discusses a few of those opportunities.
Download Briefly - Policy Brief: Health Care Reform
Briefly: Strengthening America’s Family Planning Safety Net in the Context of Health Reform
Reducing the stubbornly high levels of
unplanned pregnancy in the U.S. will require
both personal responsibility on the part of individuals as well as responsible policies that
give women and men the information and
services they need to plan pregnancy. This brief explores such ideas in greater detail.
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Fast Facts: The Direct Medical Costs of Unplanned Pregnancy and Cost Effectiveness
of Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy
In addition to being associated with serious consequences for parents and their children, unplanned pregnancies also lead
to substantial direct medical costs due to the births, abortions,
and miscarriages that result from these pregnancies. This fact
sheet summarizes available information about these direct
medical costs.
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Fast Facts: The Direct Medical Costs of Unplanned Pregnancy and Cost Effectiveness
of Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy
Fast Facts: Making the Case for Family Planning Coverage in Health Reform
Congress has a long history of recognizing the value of family planning services by including it as a core part of its public programs. In addition to improving health outcomes, this preventive benefit is both affordable and cost-effective for consumers, employers, and the government alike. This fact sheet summarizes the government’s long-standing commitment to this set of services and the cost-benefit of family planning coverage.
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Fast Facts: Making the Case for Family Planning Coverage in Health Reform
Health Reform Recommendations
Recognizing that health reform will be a top priority for the new Administration and given the health and economic benefits of pregnancy planning and prevention, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy offers a number of recommendations for improving pregnancy prevention and planning within the context of health reform efforts.
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Teen & Unplanned Pregnancy: Why It Matters
Teen pregnancy is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues — poverty and income, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, health issues, education, child welfare, and other risky behavior. There are also substantial public costs associated with adolescent childbearing. Consequently, teen pregnancy should be viewed not only as a reproductive health issue, but as one that works to improve all of these measures. Simply put, if more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in a host of social problems afflicting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.
Visit the Why It Matters webpage