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Posted on 09/06/2001 7:59:19 AM PDT by Olydawg

Health insurers selling policies in Washington were ordered Wednesday by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to cover prescription contraceptives as they would any prescribed drug.

"We have heard from consumers all across the state that believe insurance coverage for contraceptives is not only fair, it's long overdue," Kreidler said, announcing his plan at a Seattle news conference. "The outpouring of public support for this rule is a clear sign that a societal shift has occurred. Birth control is not just a women's issue anymore."

Hailed by several women's groups, the rule will take effect for insurance policies issued or renewed after Jan. 1, 2002.

It is similar to a rule implemented by Kreidler's predecessor, Deborah Senn, which Kreidler repealed upon taking office in January. He said Senn's rule-making was flawed and vulnerable to a legal challenge.

Costs questioned

Some insurers and employers have questioned the cost of another policy mandate, but contraceptives coverage should add less than $21 per year per employee for employers that provide insurance, said Stephanie Marquis, spokeswoman for the commissioner's office.

By contrast, medical costs for an unintended pregnancy and newborn care are about $8,000, Marquis said.

"The rules are not going to have a big impact on what we do," said Chris Bruzzo, spokesman for Regence BlueShield. The firm, which covers more than 1 million Washington residents, has been moving in the direction the rule sets out, expanding contraceptives coverage to more of its policies that include prescription drug coverage over the past year, Bruzzo said, and Regence will continue to do so.

However, a lawsuit filed by Senn on behalf of two clients is pending against Regence over contraceptive coverage offered in its policies.

"This is an important step for Washington families," said Theresa Connor of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Washington, who said many women have been forced unfairly to pay for contraceptives out of pocket. "Contraceptives are basic health care for women, and it's time they were covered like any other drug prescribed by your doctor."

Kreidler's rule comes on the heels of a recent court decision involving the Bartell drug stores in which denial of contraceptives coverage was considered discriminatory to women.

That court ruling applied only to self-funded health-care plans, and Kreidler's rule will cover an additional 200,000 women.

What's covered

Insurers would be required to cover prescription contraceptives such as birth-control pills, intrauterine devices, contraceptive shots, diaphragms and cervical caps.

It also will include any newly developed male and female prescription contraceptives approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration. Also covered are emergency contraception drugs taken after sex that help prevent a pregnancy from occurring.

"If men needed contraceptives, they would have been covered a long time ago," Kreidler said, joking that "coverage probably would have been etched into the Constitution. It would have been a slam dunk."

Diane Weston, a Lacey-area high school teacher and tennis coach, said she thinks the rule is needed to ensure that medically necessary contraceptives are provided.

She said she was prescribed a birth-control medication several years ago to treat a medical condition unrelated to contraceptives, but her health insurer refused to pay for it.

"Because it was called birth control, I couldn't get there," Weston said.

The new rule will allow insurers to share costs with subscribers through co-payments or deductibles on the same basis as other prescription drug coverage. The coverage will include medical care required to prescribe and dispense or remove the contraceptives.

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