Contraceptive Equity
Find out the facts about contraceptive equity in Texas.
- Many insurance companies routinely cover Viagra, but do not cover contraception.1
- Women spend 68% more than men in out-of-pocket healthcare costs, much of which is due to the cost of reproductive health care services.2
- 97% of large group insurance plans routinely cover prescription drugs, yet 49% of these plans to not cover any contraception prescriptions. Only 33% of these plans cover oral contraception, and just 15% cover all major methods of FDA-approved contraception.3
- Texans support contraceptive equity: 70% of Texans surveyed support insurance coverage of prescription contraceptives the same way that other prescription drugs are covered by insurance.4
- In 2001, the Texas Legislature passed a popular, bipartisan Contraceptive Equity bill (HB 2382). Signed into law by Governor Perry, the law covers insurance policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2002. The law requires insurance companies that cover prescription drugs and devices to also cover contraception prescriptions.
- Texas is one of 21 states requiring contraception coverage. Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington all have similar laws.
- In 2003, the Texas Legislature passed a bill (SB 541) signed into law by Governor Perry that permits insurance companies to issue policies without state-mandated health benefits such as contraception. The law covers polices written or renewed after January 1, 2004.
- Since the passage of SB 541, 21 insurance companies offer health insurance plans that exclude or limit benefits for contraceptive drugs and devices. Of the 26 Consumer Choice plans (which include fewer state-mandated benefits) filed by Texas HMOs, only one covers oral contraceptives as part of the basic benefit plan.5
- In 2003, the annual premium cost for single-person coverage of oral contraceptives was $5.60 for group plans and $0.57 for individual health insurance plans. Contraceptive claims represented less than 4% of all claims paid.6 Studies have shown that increased costs due to contraceptive coverage are minimal or offset by the reduction in costs associated with unintended pregnancies.7
- Texas insurance companies and HMOs paid about $26 million dollars in claims for prescription contraception in 2003.8 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas processes an average of $22 million dollars in claims per day.9
- Without a contraceptive equity law in place, Texas woman have no assurance that their contraception will be covered in the same way that Viagra prescriptions are routinely covered. Preventing access to contraception undermines women’s health and denies fair coverage of women’s basic health needs.
Last updated, 2/23/05
- The New York Times, July 20, 2000.
- Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI), Women’s Health Care Costs and Experiences, Executive Summary, (1994), 2-3.
- Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), 1998.
- Scripps Howard Texas Poll June 2000.
- Texas Department of Insurance, 2005.
- Texas Department of Insurance, 2005.
- Jaqueline Darroch Forrest, AGI, Cost to Employer Health Plans of Covering Contraceptives (1998), 1.
- Texas Department of Insurance, 2005.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. January 2005.
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