New York just required that insurers cover birth control which is a big step for women
Since the election, women have had many concerns, especially when it comes to their healthcare. Our President and Senate have made it clear that they plan to defund Planned Parenthood and begin to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which means women’s health could be at risk. Many women rely on these services and the thought that they will no longer be available is very scary. Well, now the women of New York state at least can rest assured that their reproductive rights will be protected. Gov. Andrew Cuomo just released an initiative to protect women’s access to birth control in New York and he made the announcement via tweet Saturday morning, just as the women’s march was kicking off in D.C.
“We want women to know that even if there are changes in federal law, there aren’t going to be any disruptions to their coverage here in New York,” Alphonso David, a counsel for Gov. Cuomo said in a statement. false
Cuomo’s action is just the next in a line of many that the state has taken to distance themselves from the agenda of President Trump. The mandate dictates that health insurers must cover the first three months of a woman’s contraception supply the first time she gets it. The supply will then be covered for up to twelve months. In a statement Governor Cuomo said “Women deserve to make a fair wage and the same salary as any man, they deserve to work in an office free of sexual harassment, they deserve comprehensive paid family leave and they deserve control over their health and reproductive decisions.” It was also said that medically necessary abortions will be covered as well. The change is estimated to affect approximately 1.5 million women in New York who are covered by commercial health policies.
It’s hard to determine if other states will adopt this decision as well, but we sure hope they do.