On 22 January, the 51st anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, the Biden administration seized the opportunity to reaffirm its support for reproductive rights – a stance it appears to be increasingly emphasizing as the 2024 presidential election draws near. As part of that effort, three federal agencies issued new guidance to help health plans and issuers avoid running afoul of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate.
Key Takeaways
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Guidance says if insurer covers one birth control method per HRSA-defined category, it doesn’t have to cover any other therapeutically equivalent drugs/drug-led devices in same category.
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Unlike past guidance, this document does not have explicit enforcement language, but experts expect the administration to be vigilant on the issue
Health policy experts who spoke to the Pink Sheet’s affiliate AIS Health, a division of MMIT, say that the guidance could be a helpful tool for compliance-focused insurers, as it outlines the narrow set of circumstances in
