Michigan Dems advance bills requiring insurance companies to cover birth control

Two bills advancing in the state Senate would require insurance providers and Medicaid to cover over-the-counter contraceptive medication—with or without a prescription.

MICHIGAN—Private insurance companies and Medicaid could soon be required to provide coverage for birth control and other forms of contraception to Michiganders under Democratic-led legislation that’s moving to a vote in the state Senate later this month.

The state Senate Health Policy Committee on Tuesday approved Senate Bills 973 and 974, which have been collectively dubbed the “Freedom to Plan Act.” They’ll now move on to a full vote in the state Senate before they can advance to the state House of Representatives.

If passed and signed into law, the bills would require private insurers and Medicaid to provide coverage for over-the-counter oral hormonal contraceptives, or birth control, and emergency contraceptives, commonly known as the “morning-after pill,” with or without a prescription.

Sponsoring state Sens. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Township) and Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) introduced the bills in August—namely as a way to further protect Michiganders’ reproductive rights, break down barriers to birth control, and help lower costs for families statewide.

“Every Michigander—no matter their insurance status, income, or background—deserves the freedom to plan their families, lives, and futures on their own terms,” Cavanagh said this week.

Federal law currently requires Medicaid and most private insurance companies to cover FDA-approved contraceptive methods with a prescription. But lawmakers said there is no federal requirement they cover non-prescription contraception—leaving many Michiganders without the ability to access care. The Freedom to Plan Act aims to rectify the issue. 

“By expanding access to basic health care such as birth control, we can ensure everyone in our state is able to decide what their future looks like,” Irwin said in a statement this week.

In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which triggered a series of abortion bans across the country, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year approved the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pills—a move from the Biden-Harris administration that was designed to help remove unnecessary barriers to contraception.

Beyond preventing unintended pregnancies, oral hormonal contraception is also often used to treat other health concerns including premenstrual syndrome, pain from endometriosis, and migraines. It can also reduce the risk of gynecologic disorders, including certain cancers.

The state Senate bills approved this week mirror laws enacted in six other states and also leave room for advancements in over-the-counter contraceptives, pending FDA approval.

If passed, they would also build on a series of actions taken by Democratic lawmakers to protect reproductive rights—including repealing a nearly 100-year-old statewide abortion ban and passing other bills to protect access to reproductive care, including in-vitro fertilization. 

READ MORE: Right to Life wants Republicans to bring anti-abortion agenda to Lansing

For the latest Michigan news, follow The ‘Gander on Twitter.

Follow Political Correspondent Kyle Kaminski here.