You are here: Home » News »

Birth Control Coverage Proposed For Most Health Insurance Plans

07/19/2011 2:38 pm 2 comments

Source: N.C. Aizenman / The Washington Post

Virtually all health insurance plans could soon be required to offer female patients free coverage of prescription birth control, breast-pump rentals, counseling for domestic violence, and annual wellness exams and HIV tests as a result of recommendations released Tuesday by an independent advisory panel of health experts.

The health-care law adopted last year directed the Obama administration to draw up a list of preventive services for women that all new health plans must cover without deductibles or co-payments. While the guidelines suggested Tuesday by a committee of the Institute of Medicine are not binding, the panel conducted its review at the request of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Administration officials have indicated that she will consider the recommendations and release proposed regulations very soon.

Though generally anticipated, the committee’s decision to include prescription birth control in its recommended list is controversial. Groups such as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America had argued that contraception is a basic form of preventive health care. In turn, groups such as the Family Research Council contended that individuals who oppose birth control on religious grounds should not be effectively forced to subsidize its use by paying premiums to insurance plans that cover it.

So-called “grandfathered” policies that have been in place since before Sept. 23, 2010, will be exempt from the new rules. However, such plans can lose grandfathered status if they make any number of changes to their coverage and payment policies, and their number is expected to dwindle rapidly in coming years.

To read this article in its entirety visit The Washington Post.

Sphere: Related Content

FINANCIAL TIMES: President Obama To Propose Medicare And Medicaid Cuts

Source: Stephanie Kirchgaessner and James Politi in Washington / Financial Times Barack Obama is expected to lay out a plan next ...

Appeals Court Favors Obama Health Care Law

Source: David Jackson / USA Today President Obama wins the latest round in the health care legal fight. A federal appeals court ...

Appeals Court Strikes Down Health Overhaul Requirement That Most Americans Must Buy Insurance

Source: AP / The Washington Post Atlanta - A federal appeals court panel on Friday struck down the requirement in President ...

U.S. Uninsured Numbers Released (VIDEO)

The government has released the latest uninsured numbers and reporter Mike Jones gives us the highlights. WATCH:

Maryland Lab Destroys Documentation On Lead Poisoning Of Children

Source: Timothy B. Wheeler / The Washington Post Maryland's health secretary said Friday that his department's laboratory has destroyed test results ...

House GOP Pushes Abortion Restrictions

Source: CNN Washington - House Republicans are set to hold hearings this week on legislation restricting federal support for abortion, a ...

Health Care Repeal Vote Fails In Senate

Source: Felicia Sonmez / The Washington Post The Senate on Wednesday night defeated a Republican-led effort aimed at repealing the entire ...

Journal: Study Linking Vaccine To Autism Was Fraud

Source: AP / The Washington Post London - The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on ...

Help Coming for Uninsured Part-Time Workers

Source: Michelle Andrews / KHN / MSNBC.com The health-care overhaul will greatly improve insurance prospects for part-time workers — ...

Anger over health-care reform spurs rise in threats against Congress members

Source: Sari Horwitz and Ben Pershing / The Washington Post Anger over the health-care overhaul has led to a nearly ...

FINANCIAL TIMES: President Obama To Propose Medicare And

Appeals Court Favors Obama Health Care Law

Appeals Court Strikes Down Health Overhaul Requirement That

U.S. Uninsured Numbers Released (VIDEO)

Maryland Lab Destroys Documentation On Lead Poisoning Of

House GOP Pushes Abortion Restrictions

Health Care Repeal Vote Fails In Senate

Journal: Study Linking Vaccine To Autism Was Fraud

Help Coming for Uninsured Part-Time Workers

Anger over health-care reform spurs rise in threats

http://www.sprichmit.net/ Thelmabgraham

Really Awesome article Obama takes very good step, and take cares American people health. Thanks for shearing such wonderful article. Keep shearing.
http://www.goedkoperdankopen.nl/bovenaan-in-google bovenaan in google

Though generally anticipated, the committee’s decision to include prescription birth control in its recommended list is controversial. Groups such as the Planned Parenthood Federation of America had argued that contraception is a basic form of preventive health care.

More from the Roland S. Martin Blog

Politics Washington Watch
Rep. Clyburn Pushes The Clyburn Amendment To Help The Poorest Of The Poor (VIDEO)

Rep. James Clyburn joined Roland Martin on the set of Washington Watch to discuss the Clyburn Amendment. This amendment was created to help the poorest of the poor across the United States. MR. MARTIN: Is there anything specific the President and Congress can do to target African-Americans when it comes to this high unemployment number? REP. CLYBURN: Yes, there is, and we – you’ll find it in the rule development part of the so-called “stimulus bill.” I- — was – [...]
Read more →
News
WASHINGTON WATCH: Rep. James Clyburn On Feb. Job Numbers, African-American Unemployment, Bipartisan Jobs Bill (VIDEO)

New employment numbers came out Friday showing the economy continues to recover and continues to add jobs at a pretty healthy pace. There were 233,000 private-sector jobs created in February. That’s two, solid years of private-sector job growth. The unemployment rate was steady at 8.3 percent. Black unemployment was 14.1 percent, up half a percentage point from last month. Big job gains came in healthcare, business and professional services, as well as restaurants. The jobs problem and the upcoming election [...]
Read more →
Commentary Sports
ROLAND S. MARTIN: Props To NCAA For Banning Connecticut From March Madness

By Roland S. Martin Editor-in-Chief RolandMartinReports.com March Madness is usually a wild and crazy time on the campuses of the nation’s big-time college basketball programs as fans wait in line for days for tickets to see their favorite collegiate do battle in the NCAA postseason tournament. But if you’re a Connecticut Huskie fan, you’d better hope your team can have a magical run in the Big East tourney and qualify for an automatic bid because when it’s time for [...]
Read more →
Media Politics Roland Martin On CNN Video
Getting To The Polls: Is There An Enthusiasm Gap Amongst Republican And Democratic Voters?

Donna Brazile, Roland Martin, Ari Fleischer, Erick Erickson, Jessica Yellen and Anderson Cooper analyze voter turn out and if there is an enthusiasm gap amongst the GOP and Democrats. Sphere: Related Content
Read more →
Media Politics Roland Martin On CNN Video
Gingrich Has Problems With Women Voters, They Don’t Trust Him (VIDEO)

Roland Martin, Erick Erickson, Donna Brazile, Ari Fleischer and Anderson Cooper discuss Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, their wives and Gingrich’s problems with women voters.
Read more →
Commentary Sports
ROLAND S. MARTIN: Football Power In Texas Has Shifted To Houston

By Roland S. Martin Editor-in-Chief RolandMartinReports.com I hate the Dallas Cowboys. No, I don’t dislike them. I flat out cannot stand anything about the Dallas Cowboys. The year they went 1-15, I was ticked they won that one game. When they played in those three Super Bowls in the ’90s, I rooted hard for the opposition. Hell, I hate them more than the Ku Klux Klan! That’s why I take great pleasure in seeing the transfer of power in the [...]
Read more →
Politics
Herman Cain Tops Mitt Romney In Latest CBS/NYT Poll

Source: Corbett B. Daly / CBS News CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. Businessman Herman Cain is now atop the field of Republican White House hopefuls, squeaking past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. Cain garnered 25 percent support of Republican primary voters in the poll released on Tuesday, compared to Romney’s 21 percent. To read this article in its entirety [...]
Read more →
Politics
Rick Perry: Obama Birth Certificate ‘A Good Issue To Keep Alive’

Source: Luke Johnson / The Huffington Post Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the birther issue was worth “keeping alive” in a CNBC interview Tuesday morning. “It’s a good issue to keep alive. It’s fun to poke at him,” said Perry, according to host John Harwood. Perry also spoke evasively about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate in an interview with Parademagazine published over the weekend. When asked if he believed the president was born in the United States, he said, “I have no reason to think [...]
Read more →
Video
What Did You Think Of The GOP Debate? (VIDEO)

CNN’s T.J. Holmes caught up with some folks just after the Las Vegas GOP debate ended. WATCH: Sphere: Related Content
Read more →
Video
Poverty Rises For Blacks In Omaha (VIDEO)

CNN’s Thelma Gutierrez reports on the disproportionate rate of poverty among African-Americans in Omaha, Nebraska. WATCH: Sphere: Related Content
Read more →

← previous next →

Trending On RolandSMartin.com

More from the Roland S. Martin Blog