At virtually the same time that the Senate voted to repeal important measures in the Affordable Care Act, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced legislation that would allow New Yorkers to still have access to free birth control.
Late on Wednesday night, the Senate held a marathon to vote on the removal of key measures from what Republicans have dubbed ‘Obamacare’ with a 51-48 majority. One of the measures was an amendment that would have required insurance companies to continue to cover birth control, amongst other helpful measures.
Schneiderman, who is aware of the looming reality of Congress possibly repealing Obamacare, introduced the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act on Wednesday, which would require insurance companies governed by the state to cover the cost of FDA-approved birth control, including male contraceptives and Plan B.
“New Yorkers have a right to comprehensive, cost-free access to birth control. With the Affordable Care Act under attack in Washington, it’s all the more critical that New York act now to protect these rights,” he said.
While it’s still just a proposal and would need to be passed through both chambers of the state legislature, it’s a move that’s important for citizens nationwide because it displays unity when an important program is in the process of being eliminated. Other states, such as California Illinois, already have similar measures to help their residents by protecting their birth control coverage.
Though the fate of Obamacare is still undecided, the recent moves Congress has made to start gutting the Affordable Care Act are more than threatening. More than 20 million are insured through the Affordable Care Act, whose problems, like rising premium costs, have only arisen from the Republican lawmakers pushing back on important laws to keep costs down. It’s these very same Republicans that are now using these rising premium costs as a reason to gut Obamacare. As Senator Bernie Sanders said after the overnight marathon,
“I think it’s important for this country to know this was not a usual thing, this is a day which lays the groundwork for 30 million people to be thrown off their health insurance. And if that happens, many of these people will die.”
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