Gov. Cooper Urges Federal Government To Ensure Over-The-Counter Birth Control Is Affordable And Accessible

Source: NPR

Governor Roy Cooper joined five other state governors serving on the Executive Committee of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance in sending a letter this month to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging the federal government to take steps to ensure over-the-counter (OTC) birth control will be covered by private health insurance plans and Medicaid at no-cost to the patient.

The letter comes on the heels of the FDA approving the first OTC daily birth control pill this July. The medication is expected to be released to the public shortly. Currently, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurers to provide no-cost coverage for all FDA-approved forms of contraception. The governors are asking the federal government to clarify that the new OTC, no-prescription birth control pill also falls under the no-cost ACA mandate.

Furthermore, the governors asked the federal government to ensure that Medicaid recipients can receive OTC birth control without a prescription. This would expand access “to a critical component of reproductive healthcare in communities currently struggling with provider shortages, particularly in rural communities and among communities of color,” the letter states.

Gov. Cooper was joined by Gov. Shapiro (D-PA), Gov. Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Gov. Healey (D-MA), Gov. Newsom (D-CA), and Gov. Pritzker (D-IL).

Share:

More Posts

NC House Democrats Stand United Against SB 153

SB 153 is a right-wing bill that would burden local law enforcement, infringe on the rights of local governments, and further empower ICE to perform unconstitutional raids on North Carolina communities. 

Redadas de ICE en Charlotte y Concord: Intensificación de Arrestos de Inmigrantes en Carolina del Norte

En una reunión celebrada el 21 de mayo en la sede de ICE en Washington, el principal asesor del presidente Trump, Stephen Miller, y la secretaría de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, instruyeron a los oficiales de inmigración a aumentar los arrestos diarios a 3,000, triplicando la cifra alcanzada en los primeros meses del mandato de Trump. Este objetivo forma parte de un esfuerzo por ejecutar la operación de deportación más grande en la historia de Estados Unidos. 

Trump’s FEMA Denies North Carolina’s Hurricane Helene Aid Request, Again

“FEMA’s denial of our appeal will cost North Carolina taxpayers potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up out west,” Stein explained. “The money we have to pay toward debris removal will mean less money toward supporting our small businesses, rebuilding downtown infrastructure, repairing our water and sewer systems, and other critical needs.”

3 Million People Could Lose SNAP Under GOP Plan, Gov. Stein Warns of NC Fallout

“If Congress goes forward with these plans, our state will be forced into perilous budget decisions – should North Carolinians lose access to food, or should we get rid of other essential services?” Gov. Stein wrote. “I urge our members of Congress to reject this budget proposal so that North Carolina families don’t go hungry.”