Ranking Member Raskin Applauds Biden-Harris Executive Order to Strengthen Access to Contraception

Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2023)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration announced a new Executive Order, titled "Strengthening Access to Affordable, High-Quality Contraception and Family Planning Services" as part of the Administration's ongoing efforts to ensure just and equitable access to contraceptive products:

"President Biden's Executive Order on strengthening access to affordable, high-quality contraception and family planning services is an important step to build upon the Affordable Care Act's requirement that contraception be available without cost-sharing. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the need for women to have access to contraception to ensure that they have autonomy and control over personal decisions about their own health, lives, and families. Women's control over their own fertility and reproductive health is an essential way to combat poverty. As Republican extremists roll back reproductive rights across the country, it is especially critical that all Americans can access the contraceptive products that they and their health care providers deem most appropriate. I urge the Administration to consider Committee Democrats' prior recommendations to ensure that every American can access the birth control that works best for them, without unnecessary cost or delay."

Last year, Committee Democrats issued a report examining the financial barriers that patients may face from health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) when trying to access medically-appropriate contraceptive products. The report recommended that the Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services revise existing guidance to clarify that all FDA-approved contraceptive products without a therapeutic equivalent should be included on all health insurer and PBM plans or formularies without cost-sharing.

The Committee's report also recommended that the Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services encourage exceptions processes that are automatic at the point of prescribing to eliminate restrictions that are burdensome to patients and providers and raise barriers to accessing birth control. President Biden's Executive Order directs the Secretaries of these Departments to consider new guidance to ensure that private health insurers cover all FDA-approved contraceptives without patient cost-sharing, including copays, coinsurance, or deductibles.

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