COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Supporters of a bill requiring insurance companies to cover a year’s worth of birth control pills say it will prevent unintended pregnancies and save the state money.
The legislation approved 64-38 on Tuesday is intended to make it easier for women to get the contraceptives their doctors prescribe.
Insurance companies generally cover either a month or three-month supply.
Rep. Robert Ridgeway, the Legislature’s only gynecologist, says it can be difficult for working women to get to the pharmacy on the day their insurance company will pay for the next month’s supply, which can lead to missed pills. The Manning Democrat says “you end up with two people on Medicaid instead of one.”
Opponents said the bill would cost insurance companies money. They also questioned whether women would lose the packets.