AG Madigan Files to Stop Rollback of Guideline Governing Insurance for Contraceptive Care

 

Madigan and the attorneys general argue that the government’s interim final rules are unconstitutional because they allow the federal government to prioritize certain religious beliefs over a woman’s right to make choices about her own health care. The rules announced in October enable any employer with a religious or moral objection to contraception to block their employees, and employees’ dependents, from receiving health insurance coverage for contraceptive care and services

 

“Health care decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor – not by her employer or the government,” Madigan said. “I filed this brief because women should have coverage for contraception as part of their health care.”

 

Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, most employers who provide health insurance coverage to their employees have been required to include coverage for contraception, at no cost to the employee. As a result of the ACA, more than 55 million women in the United States, including hundreds of thousands in Illinois have access to contraceptive care with no out-of-pocket costs. Although Illinois law also requires insurance plans to cover contraceptive services, 63 percent of private sector employees in Illinois are enrolled in a plan that is not covered by the Illinois law and are at risk of losing their contraceptive coverage if their employer chooses to remove it.