Mich. Should Pass Law Requiring Birth Control Coverage For Insurance Plans Covering Prescription Drugs, Editorial Says

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 07 Aug 2008 - 12:00 PST

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Michigan is one of about 25 U.S. states that do not have laws requiring insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to cover birth control, and that "should change," a Lansing State Journal editorial says.

According to the State Journal, a group of state House Democrats in February introduced a measure (HB 4295) that would mandate insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to cover all FDA-approved birth control products, but the measure has "gone nowhere." As a recent "episode" regarding the issue in Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign showed, this "is an issue that flies below the radar," the editorial says.

However, research has shown that increased access to contraception "equals fewer unplanned pregnancies ... which should lead to fewer abortions," the editorial says, citing a Brookings Institution analysis that found an expansion of family planning services, including contraceptives, covered by Medicaid for young women led to a decrease in unintended pregnancies. The analysis also estimated that the amount saved by avoiding each unintended pregnancy is $6,800, according to the editorial. The State Journal concludes that Michigan's insurance law should "reflect" the fact that birth control "works" (Lansing State Journal, 8/5).

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