Pennsylvania Lawmakers Unveil Bills To Restore Birth Control Coverage To ACA
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As the enrollment period for Affordable Care Act health insurance gets underway, some Pennsylvania lawmakers are mounting an effort to restore part of the act that was gutted by the Trump administration. They want Pennsylvania to guarantee coverage for birth control.
"I have a message for Donald Trump. Keep your hands off our vaginas."
Councilwoman Cindy Bass joined state legislators who are introducing a package of bills that would restore birth control coverage to insurance plans in the state.
Rep. Leanne Kreuger-Braneky says stripping birth control coverage from the ACA makes little sense on two fronts. It's preventive care that saves money, she said.
"It's the number one evidence-based solution to keep abortion rates as low as possible," she said.
Braneky and her colleagues believe there will be public support for their bills restoring coverage, but she acknowledges things move slowly in Harrisburg, so the state's separate legal challenge to the rule change is likely the only chance to restore coverage for next year.
Eliminating birth control coverage is just one way the Trump administration is weakening the ACA. It's also stripped advertising for this shortened enrollment period. Pediatrician Jennifer Chuang says her colleagues are trying to compensate with social media.
"A group of us call ourselves tweet-iatricians," Chaung said.
