Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act
Current understanding
The Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs from imposing any cost-sharing (copayments, deductibles, coinsurance) on veterans for contraceptive items and services that private health plans are required to cover without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate. The bill aligns VA coverage rules with the private-market benchmark, addressing a gap where veterans currently may face copays for contraception at VA facilities. Status: introduced; fiscal impact would fall on VA medical care appropriations by foregone copay revenue.
Evidence log
- 2025-02-06 — Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act: cross-connection with reproductive-freedom-for-veterans-act: Both bills expand veterans’ access to reproductive health services through VA; Equal Access focuses on eliminating cost-sharing for contraceptives, while Reproductive Freedom for Veterans Act (HR4876) addresses broader reproductive healthcare access. (novelty: 3)