DELAURO, COLLEAGUES VOICE SUPPORT FOR PREVENTIVE SERVICES RULE ENSURING ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, was joined by 87 colleagues in the House of Representatives in support of the announcement regarding preventive services announced by the Obama Administration on Friday, February 10, 2012.

In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, DeLauro and her colleagues stated that "These regulations are a transformative step forward for the health of American women and families. The cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act was ensuring that all Americans would have access to quality, affordable care. The law also recognized that our health care system must evolve to better encourage optimal health by promoting effective preventive services." The letter continues, "It is imperative that this rule be implemented so that women and their families have fair, equal, and automatic access to preventive health services, including contraception, without additional cost or barriers. The rule would not force anyone with a religious objection to use, prescribe, or dispense FDA-approved contraception. It does not affect existing federal conscience-clause protections."

The letter was signed by the following members: Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Louise Slaughter, Gwen Moore, Diana DeGette, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Barbara Lee, Janice Hahn, Rush Holt, Gerald Connolly, Judy Chu, Steve Rothman, Carolyn Maloney, Steve Cohen, Lois Capps, Maurice Hinchey, John Conyers, Sam Farr, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Nita Lowey, Barney Frank, Lynn Woolsey, Corrine Brown, George Miller, Doris Matsui, Niki Tsongas, Donna Edwards, Jerrold Nadler, Sheila Jackson Lee, Karen Bass, Tim Ryan, Linda Sanchez, Marcia Fudge, Ed Pastor, John Lewis, Chellie Pingree, Charles Gonzalez, Chris Murphy, Tammy Baldwin, Chaka Fattah, Russ Carnahan, Jan Schakowsky, Betty McCollum, Jim McDermott, Laura Richardson, Earl Blumenauer, James McGovern, John Olver, Susan Davis, Bobby Scott, Henry Waxman, Jesse Jackson, Jr., John Tierney, Keith Ellison, Xavier Becerra, Allyson Schwartz, John Yarmuth, Jackie Speier, Bob Filner, Mike Quigley, Hansen Clarke, Lucille Roybal Allard, Bruce Braley, Yvette Clarke, Brad Miller, Leonard Boswell, Jose Serrano, Pete Stark, Charles Rangel, Jay Inslee, Luis Gutierrez, Joe Baca, Mike Honda, Danny Davis, Jerry McNerney, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Peter Welch, Martin Heinrich, Mike Thompson, Mazie Hirono, Bill Pascrell, Gary Peters, Suzanne Bonamici, Grace Napolitano, Dave Loebsack, Ed Markey, Bill Keating, Gary Ackerman, and Eliot Engel.

The text of the letter is below.

February 10, 2012

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Secretary Sebelius:

We write today to support the final rule for preventive services, specifically those for women. These regulations are a transformative step forward for the health of American women and families.

The cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act was ensuring that all Americans would have access to quality, affordable care. The law also recognized that our health care system must evolve to better encourage optimal health by promoting effective preventive services.

It has been well documented that cost barriers dramatically reduce the use of preventive services. By making the services available with no out of pocket costs, we may eliminate these barriers and encourage more Americans to take advantage of services -- such as cancer screenings, diabetes screenings, and others -- that may help improve their long-term health. Because of the lack of comprehensive, scientifically based recommendations for women and situations unique to women, the Department of Health and Human Services contracted with the Institute of Medicine to produce "Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gap," a report outlining the scientific data and making clear recommendations to improve the health of American women, who currently suffer disproportionately from some chronic diseases and often have higher out of pocket health expenses.

Those recommendations included: screening and counseling for domestic violence; at least one well-woman visit a year; services for pregnant women, including screening for gestational diabetes and counseling for breastfeeding; screening for cervical cancer; screening and counseling for HIV; counseling for sexually transmitted infections; and the full range of contraceptive education, counseling, methods, and services. The adoption of these recommendations will help women, and their families, get the care that they need without worrying about the short-term cost. We support this effort to ensure that all women, regardless of employer or economic status, have access to preventive health services with no cost barrier.

One of the most common services used by women is family planning. Approximately 99% of sexually active women in the United States, including Catholic women, have used contraception. And yet, one poll found that one-third of women (and thus their families) struggled to afford prescription birth control at some point and had used it inconsistently. The IOM report highlighted the overwhelming scientific data illustrating that contraception improves health outcomes and lowers costs. Twenty-eight States currently require insurance plans cover contraception when they cover other FDA-approved prescription drugs. The rule closes this unfair coverage gap, ensuring that women across the country have access to the same minimum portfolio of preventive services.

The rule would not force anyone with a religious objection to use, prescribe, or dispense FDA-approved contraception. It does not affect existing federal conscience-clause protections. And drugs that are not prescribed for contraception, such as mifepristone, are not included in this preventive service policy.

Churches and other religious institutions are exempt from the rule, as are other religious employers that meet the parameters clearly outlined in the rule. And employees of non-exempt organizations that choose not to provide contraception coverage will still receive coverage from their employer's insurance company at no additional cost. It is imperative that this rule be implemented so that women and their families have fair, equal, and automatic access to preventive health services, including contraception, without additional cost or barriers.

Thank you for ensuring that all American women will soon have health insurance coverage that includes these valuable IOM-recommended preventive services.

Sincerely,

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