The PennZone

The letter, co ~ Today, six Governors from the multi-state Reproductive Freedom Alliance (Alliance) representing 84 million Americans sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and notified Department of Labor Acting Secretary Julie Su urging the Biden-Harris Administration to take all necessary and available steps to ensure that the first ever FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) daily birth control pill is fully covered by insurance, so that no one is denied access to critical reproductive healthcare because they can't afford it.

The letter was co-signed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. In it, the Governors asked the federal Departments of HHS and Labor to update the Health Resources & Services Administration guidelines to clarify that the Affordable Care Act's preventative health mandate include no-cost coverage of OTC contraceptives without a prescription. The letter also urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enable states to leverage a federal match to pay for OTC contraception, which will help expand access for Medicaid recipients in communities currently struggling with provider shortages.

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Governor Shapiro has been an advocate for reproductive freedom since taking office in Pennsylvania. In February he joined the Alliance – a non-partisan coalition of 21 Governors committed to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom in their states –the largest such coalition ever convened. In April he launched a website for reproductive health care resources to help Pennsylvanians find information about both medication abortions and in-clinic procedure abortions, as well as take advantage of an interactive map and the "Find A Provider" tool to locate a local provider, seek assistance on their journey with help from the "Make A Plan" section, and get connected with financial support under "How to Pay."

As Attorney General prior to his governorship, Governor Shapiro defended the right to access birth control and reproductive healthcare under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that Pennsylvania women and families should not be denied full and equal insurance coverage for basic, medically-necessary contraception.

The letter sent today is part of an effort by members of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance – including Governor Shapiro –to ensure that no woman is prevented from accessing necessary healthcare just because they can't afford it. The Biden-Harris Administration has been supportive of this effort thus far; however it remains unclear what steps will be taken in response to this letter specifically or how soon any changes may be implemented if at all.

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