A new proposal from the Biden administration would require health insurance companies to fully cover the costs of over-the-counter birth control, including condoms. The proposal represents “the largest expansion of contraception coverage in more than a decade,” said Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a statement.
“This new action would help ensure that millions of women with private health insurance can access the no-cost contraception they need,” President Joe Biden said.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) already requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription birth control without direct cost-sharing in the form of things like co-pays. The administration’s new proposal—a test case for expanding coverage for all sorts of over-the-counter preventative services—would expand the ACA’s requirement to nonprescription contraceptives as well.
This is a bad plan, economically and politically.
Hellbound and Down 