Democratic Women’s Caucus Calls on Biden-Harris Administration to Finalize Contraception Rule
December 17, 2024
CONTACT:
Lizzie Johnson, (202)-590-6073, lizzie.johnson@mail.house.gov (DWC)
Democratic Women’s Caucus Calls on Biden-Harris Administration to Finalize Contraception Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Tuesday, December 17, The Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC), led by DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Chair Emerita Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Pro-Choice Caucus Contraception & Family Planning Task Force Chair Judy Chu, submitted a comment letter in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule to improve coverage of birth control, including over-the-counter birth control. The letter urges the Biden-Harris Administration to finalize the rule as soon as possible before leaving office.
The DWC welcomed the introduction of the proposed rule, which was released in October, following years of advocacy from the DWC. The proposed rule would strengthen coverage of contraception, including over-the-counter contraception, so that patients no longer face unlawful barriers to accessing it, the Members explained:
“The ACA requires plans to cover contraceptive products without cost-sharing. Unfortunately, despite repeated guidance from your agencies, patients continue to face unlawful barriers to accessing contraception, including delays, rejections, cost-sharing, and lack of a clear and transparent exceptions process when a particular product is not on a plan’s formulary. Due to this systemic noncompliance, in March 2023, DWC Members urged the tri-agencies to clarify that health plans must cover every contraceptive product that does not have a covered therapeutic equivalent. Considering the continued non-compliance among plans, requiring the adoption of this standard is the best way to ensure access to the birth control products patients need.”
To address this need, the Members urged swift implementation:
“We thank you for your continued work to improve contraceptive access for women. We look forward to seeing a final rule that implements the therapeutic equivalence standard, including for OTC contraception, and that goes into effect as soon as possible.”
Read the full letter HERE.
Full List of Signatures: Adams, Alma; Allred, Colin; Amo, Gabe; Auchincloss, Jake; Balint, Becca; Barragán, Nanette; Beatty, Joyce; Beyer, Donald; Bonamici, Suzanne; Bowman, Jamaal; Boyle, Brendan; Brownley, Julia; Brown, Shontel; Budzinski, Nikki; Bush, Cori; Carbajal, Salud; Cárdenas, Tony; Carter, Troy; Casten, Sean; Castor, Kathy; Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila; Chu, Judy; Cleaver, Emanuel; Cohen, Steve; Craig, Angie; Crockett, Jasmine; Davis, Danny; Dean, Madeleine; DeGette, Diana; DeLauro, Rosa; DelBene, Suzan; Deluzio, Christopher; DeSaulnier, Mark; Dingell, Debbie; Evans, Dwight; Fletcher, Lizzie; Foster, Bill; Frankel, Lois; Frost, Maxwell; Garamendi, John; Garcia, Sylvia; Golden, Jared; Goldman, Daniel; Gottheimer, Josh; Green, Al; Grijalva, Raúl; Horsford, Steven; Houlahan, Chrissy; Hoyle, Val; Huffman, Jared; Ivey, Glenn; Jacobs, Sara; Jayapal, Pramila; Johnson, Henry; Kamlager-Dove, Sydney; Kaptur, Marcy; Kelly, Robin; Krishnamoorthi, Raja; Kuster, Ann; Larsen, Rick; Lee, Barbara; Lee Carter, Erica; Lee, Summer; Lee, Susie; Leger Fernandez, Teresa; Magaziner, Seth; Manning, Kathy; Matsui, Doris; McBath, Lucy; McClellan, Jennifer; McCollum, Betty; McGovern, James; McIver, LaMonica; Meng, Grace; Moore, Gwen; Morelle, Joseph; Moskowitz, Jared; Moulton, Seth; Mullin, Kevin; Nadler, Jerrold; Norton, Eleanor; Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria; Omar, Ilhan; Peters, Scott; Pettersen, Brittany; Pocan, Mark; Porter, Katie; Pressley, Ayanna; Ramirez, Delia; Raskin, Jamie; Ross, Deborah; Ruppersberger, C.; Ryan, Patrick; Salinas, Andrea; Sánchez, Linda; Sarbanes, John; Scanlon, Mary Gay; Schakowsky, Janice; Schrier, Kim; Sewell, Terri; Sherrill, Mikie; Sorensen, Eric; Spanberger, Abigail; Stanton, Greg; Stevens, Haley; Strickland, Marilyn; Swalwell, Eric; Sykes, Emilia; Takano, Mark; Thanedar, Shri; Thompson, Mike; Titus, Dina; Tlaib, Rashida; Tokuda, Jill; Torres, Ritchie; Trahan, Lori; Underwood, Lauren; Vargas, Juan; Velázquez, Nydia; Wasserman Schultz, Debbie; Waters, Maxine; Watson Coleman, Bonnie; Williams, Nikema; Wilson, Frederica.