Dear Friends,
Veterans deserve the same access to basic health care as civilians. Unfortunately, today this isn’t the case, as female veterans must still pay out-of-pocket costs for contraception.
The Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, which is coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives this Thursday, June 24, would ensure that veterans have access to no co-pay contraception much like their civilian counterparts.
Under the ACA, most private health plans must cover all FDA-approved birth control methods for women without cost-sharing. However, the ACA does not extend to the Veterans Administration (VA) and veterans covered by the VA must still pay a co-pay for many contraceptives.
Co-pays can be prohibitive for veterans struggling to make ends meet. Studies show that the costs associated with contraception, even when small, lead some women to forgo it completely, to choose less effective methods, or to use it inconsistently.
It’s time to ensure our veterans have the same access to this basic health care, which the public strongly supports.
Polling shows that the majority of adults—regardless of race/ethnicity, region, and political affiliation—support access to all methods of contraception. This includes 95% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans. If you count yourself among those that agree, please act now. Urge your Representative to pass the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act!
|
