{"id":2270806,"date":"2024-06-18T16:58:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T20:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanders-calls-for-investigation-into-insurance-coverage-for-birth-control\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T17:04:13","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T21:04:13","slug":"sanders-calls-for-investigation-into-insurance-coverage-for-birth-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sanders-calls-for-investigation-into-insurance-coverage-for-birth-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Sanders demands probe into birth control insurance coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsanders-calls-for-investigation-into-insurance-coverage-for-birth-control%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2270806&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Bernie Sanders \u2063has urged the Government\u2064 Accountability Office to\u2062 look into\u200d the oversight of the Affordable Care Act&#8217;s requirement for free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/becerra-falsely-claims-he-never-sued-any-nuns\/\" title=\"Becerra Falsely Claims He \u2018Never Sued Any Nuns\u2019\">contraceptive coverage<\/a> across all 50 states. Despite being\u200b federal law for\u2064 over a\u2062 decade, many health\u200c plans still charge for contraception which should be \u200cprovided \u200dat no cost. Sanders highlighted the persistent lack of enforcement \u200cand accountability, pointing\u2062 to a Vermont investigation that found \u200csignificant unlawfully charged fees\u2062 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cargo-ship-runs-russias-blockade-of-ukraines-ports\/\" title=\"Cargo ship defies Russia's blockade of Ukraine's ports.\">insurance\u200b companies<\/a>. This call for investigation stresses the importance \u200cof \u200dfollowing and enforcing the law to ensure patient access without \u200bfinancial barriers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) has called for a government investigation into why some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/health-insurance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>health insurance<\/a> plans are charging women for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/contraception\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>contraception<\/a> that is supposed to be free under federal law.<\/p>\n<p>In all 50 states, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordable-care-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Affordable Care Act<\/a> guarantees coverage of women\u2019s preventive services, including all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Food and Drug Administration<\/a>-approved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/birth-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>birth control<\/a> methods.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/24764790-61724-gao-aca-contraception-coverage-letter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> sent to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/government-accountability-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Government Accountability Office<\/a>, Sanders asked to investigate how states and federal entities, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/health-and-human-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>departments of Health and Human Services<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-labor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Labor<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/treasury-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Treasury<\/a>, oversee compliance with the ACA mandate for free contraceptive coverage in health plans. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ACA has been federal law for 14 years and we continue to see plans deny coverage and ignore the federal mandate,\u201d Sanders wrote. \u201cIt is completely unacceptable that plans consistently defy mandated coverage and that there is little enforcement or accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to a recent investigation by the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, which found that three health insurers (Blue Cross Blue Shield Vermont, MVP Health Care, and Cigna Healthcare) failed to provide free contraceptive services, resulting in $1.5 million in charges to consumers from 2017 to 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile this important legislation prohibited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-you-need-to-know-about-trumps-latest-drug-pricing-moves\/\" title=\"What You Need To Know About Trump\u2019s Latest Drug Pricing Moves\">cost-sharing<\/a>, co-payments, and deductibles for contraception, the law can only help patients if it is both followed and enforced,\u201d Sanders wrote. \u201cThis is critical given the evidence that any cost-sharing can be a barrier to patient access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Sanders cited an October 2022 investigation by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-oversight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Oversight and Accountability Committee<\/a>, which revealed that insurers across the country are not following ACA requirements for contraceptive coverage. <\/p>\n<p>The committee\u2019s report showed that many health plans exclude or charge for at least 34 contraceptive products, and most insurers deny over 40% of exception requests for contraceptives, with one company denying more than 80% annually.<\/p>\n<p>Under the ACA, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-dem-senate-candidate-announces-support-for-medicare-for-all\/\" title=\"Wisconsin Dem Senate Candidate Announces Support for Medicare for All\">private health plans<\/a> are required to cover a variety of recommended preventive services without imposing any cost-sharing on patients. (See the complete list <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/womens-health-policy\/fact-sheet\/preventive-services-covered-by-private-health-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>here<\/a>.) This requirement applies to all private plans, including fully insured and self-insured plans in individual, small group, and large group markets.<\/p>\n<p>The only exception to this mandate applies to plans that maintain \u201cgrandfathered\u201d status, which includes individual health insurance policies purchased on or before March 23, 2010. These plans may lose their status if they implement significant changes that decrease benefits or raise costs for consumers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In January, the Biden administration issued an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2578498\/biden-to-issue-executive-order-expanding-access-to-contraceptives-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>executive order<\/a> expanding access to contraception and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-lives-matter-arkansas-gov-signs-near-total-abortion-ban-that-supporters-hope-will-force-scotus-to-revisit-roe-v-wade\/\" title=\"\u2018All Lives Matter\u2019: Arkansas Gov. Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban That Supporters Hope Will Force SCOTUS To Revisit Roe v. Wade\">family planning services<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Access to contraception has become a political issue, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democrats<\/a> emphasizing birth control in their election-year focus on reproductive rights.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Bernie Sanders has demanded a government probe into why certain health insurance plans are billing women for contraception, despite federal law mandating free coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This law ensures free access to FDA-approved birth control methods as part of women&#8217;s preventive services nationwide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3166,"featured_media":2270807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24127533483273.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2270806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24127533483273.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2270806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2270806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2270806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2270806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}