Washington, D.C. — A leaked draft of a proposed Trump administration rule to block access to health care for women surfaced in the media overnight. The rule would allow individuals, employers, organizations, and insurers to refuse to cover contraception and related services for women as currently required by the Affordable Care Act’s regulations.
Jamila K. Taylor, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Yet again, the Trump administration is taking egregious steps to block access to essential health care for women. If implemented, this rule would expand exemptions currently offered to certain religious organizations to allow any employer, school, or health plan claiming a religious or moral objection to avoid covering contraceptive care.
Creating obstacles to accessing affordable health care for women threatens their autonomy, their health, and their economic well-being. This rule effectively dismisses as irrelevant the need for women to have the ability to make their own health decisions and, instead, elevates the personal preferences of employers. Thanks to the contraceptive benefit under the Affordable Care Act, women have been able to save $1.4 billion annually in out-of-pocket costs.
If implemented as written, the rule would put access to contraceptive care out of reach for millions of women. The Trump administration is completely out of step with the everyday lives of American women working to support their families and lead healthy, productive lives.
The leaked rule would apply to coverage for contraception and related services, such as patient education or counseling. It is extremely expansive and would apply to any employer, educational institution, or insurer. Additionally, it would make the current required accommodation process for religiously affiliated employers optional, essentially denying many women contraceptive care, and would remove the requirement to request exemption through self-certification.
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Chelsea Kiene at [email protected] or 202.478.5328.