It's good to be a woman in Wisconsin. According to Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, if a health insurance plan covers prescription drugs, it must cover contraceptives. The opinion, issued Nov. 7, could force currently discriminatory health plans into providing equitable coverage, despite protests from some businesses.
Based upon previous federal and state court decisions, especially in regards to Wisconsin's Fair Employment Act, Lautenschlager's announcement states that lack of contraceptive coverage violates laws against sex discrimination in employment and higher education. The opinion is warmly greeted by some of women's strongest supporters in state government, as it will help Democratic state legislators to push forward their long-stymied efforts to extend prescription coverage to all methods of birth control. Though non-binding, any application of the message leaves little room for the sex discrimination represented by current coverage denial.
For those who doubt that any sex discrimination is involved, a December 2002 finding by the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission declared denial of contraceptive coverage within a prescription drug plan a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Pregnancy is a medical condition wherein 100 percent of those affected by it are women, and therefore denying coverage of contraceptives affects only women.
Many health plans that cover prescriptions like Viagra have refused to cover oral or other types of reversible contraception. Within two months of Viagra's introduction, more than half of health plans funded the little blue pill. At the same time, fewer than half included full contraceptive coverage. In fact, many policies specifically exclude contraceptives from otherwise comprehensive plans. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, only 41 percent of health plans cover all reversible contraceptive methods. Reproductive health, including pregnancy prevention, is an essential component of women's overall health. Continual neglect has led to many struggles to receive and maintain appropriate levels of health care, from mandating coverage of mammograms to maternity leave. There obviously remains room for improvement.
What this discrimination translates to in the real world is some very concrete realities, including the fact women pay 68 percent more out-of-pocket medical expenses than men. Most women, at some point in their reproductive lives, will go on birth control. For some of them, this huge uncovered expense means they must forgo effective birth control, or use cheaper but less dependable methods. If this isn't sex discrimination, what is?
Opponents of coverage try to use the scare tactics. The most popular is employers will drop prescription coverage or insurance policies altogether, if they are forced to cover contraception. Yet, given that not all women will use birth control, the additional cost per policy is estimated to be under $20 each year, generally less than $1.50 a month.
Finances are often used as the argument against coverage, but it is not a logical one. Unintended pregnancies result in lost productivity and work time for businesses. Statistically, more than half of all pregnancies are unintended. Of these unintended pregnancies, half will end in abortion-a procedure covered by some health plans. For those pregnancies brought to term, the average medical cost surrounding the birth of a newborn, from prenatal care through the first year of life, is $10,000. In contrast, the average yearly cost of contraceptives ranges from $250 to $500. The comparison makes companies' financial excuses seem laughable; to be truly cost effective, insurance companies should jump at the chance to cover birth control pills and IUDs.
Contraception should not be considered something elective; women have the right to determine when to have children. Women who use contraceptives are at decreased risk for diseases such as ovarian cancer. Because their pregnancies are planned, their children are generally healthier due to earlier prenatal care. Refusal to cover contraception is a foolish pattern of ensuring that a large percentage of the work force is always in danger of being temporarily removed from their positions, whether it is to have a baby or an abortion. It is also explicitly sex discrimination. Avoiding unwanted pregnancies should be supported by everyone, no matter what side of the political spectrum they come from.
Currently, 17 states mandate contraception coverage. Employees of both the federal government and of the state of Wisconsin have it included in their insurance plans. The attorney general's opinion provides the perfect time to ensure that coverage is extended to all by an actual law. Every woman in this state has a right to contraception coverage-let this be the last push needed to provide it.
