Skip to content
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Reproductive Rights

Primary Menu

  • About
    • Overview
    • The Center’s Impact
    • Center Leadership & Staff
    • Annual Reports
    • Corporate Engagement
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Work
    • Overview
    • Litigation
    • Legal Policy and Advocacy
    • Resources & Research
    • Recent Case Highlights
    • Landmark Cases
    • Cases Archive
    • World’s Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Issues
    • Overview
    • Abortion
    • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
    • Assisted Reproduction
    • Contraception
    • Humanitarian Settings
    • Maternal Health
    • COVID-19
  • Regions
    • Overview
    • Global Advocacy
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • United States
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Stories
    • Events
    • Center in the Spotlight
    • Press Releases
    • Statements
    • Press Room
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Resources & Research
    • U.S. Abortion Rights: Resources
    • Maps
    • World Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
    • Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch
  • Act
    • Overview
    • Give
    • Act
    • Learn
  • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Make a Donor Advised Fund Gift
    • Leave a Legacy Gift
    • Donate Gifts of Stock
    • Give a Gift in Honor
    • Attend an Event
    • Employee Matching Gifts
    • Mail a Check
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
Donate
icon-hamburger icon-magnifying-glass Donate
icon-magnifying-glass-teal

How To Find Out If and When Your Health Plan Will Begin Covering Women’s Preventive Services with No Co-Pay

Center for Reproductive Rights - Center for Reproductive Rights - search logo
search Close Close icon
Center for Reproductive Rights -
Menu Close Menu Close icon
Donate

Primary Menu

  • About
    • Overview
    • The Center’s Impact
    • Center Leadership & Staff
    • Annual Reports
    • Corporate Engagement
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Work
    • Overview
    • Litigation
    • Legal Policy and Advocacy
    • Resources & Research
    • Recent Case Highlights
    • Landmark Cases
    • Cases Archive
    • World’s Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
  • Issues
    • Overview
    • Abortion
    • Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
    • Assisted Reproduction
    • Contraception
    • Humanitarian Settings
    • Maternal Health
    • COVID-19
  • Regions
    • Overview
    • Global Advocacy
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America and the Caribbean
    • United States
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Stories
    • Events
    • Center in the Spotlight
    • Press Releases
    • Statements
    • Press Room
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Resources & Research
    • U.S. Abortion Rights: Resources
    • Maps
    • World Abortion Laws Map
    • After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State
    • Repro Red Flags: Agency Watch
  • Act
    • Overview
    • Give
    • Act
    • Learn
  • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Make a Donor Advised Fund Gift
    • Leave a Legacy Gift
    • Donate Gifts of Stock
    • Give a Gift in Honor
    • Attend an Event
    • Employee Matching Gifts
    • Mail a Check
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Related Content

Issues:

Contraception, Funding for Reproductive Healthcare

Regions:

United States

Work:

Reporting on Rights

Type:

News, Story

Follow the Center

Donate Now

Join Now

07.30.2012

Reporting on Rights Contraception United States News

How To Find Out If and When Your Health Plan Will Begin Covering Women’s Preventive Services with No Co-Pay

Justin Goldberg

Share

  • facebook
  • Twitter
  • linkedin
  • Email id
How To Find Out If and When Your Health Plan Will Begin Covering Contraception







NWLC Our partners at the National Women’s Law Center have graciously let us share this Fact Sheet with you. Please visit their website for more details on contraceptive coverage.


 If your plan is not grandfathered*, your health plan should be providing coverage for women’s preventive services with no cost-sharing in the next plan year. Call your insurance plan to find out when you’ll begin receiving coverage for women’s preventive services without cost sharing and how these services will be covered.



We have provided a phone script for you to use when talking to your insurance plan. (Be aware that if your next plan year is more than 30 days away, your plan may not know the details of the new coverage. You may need to call them back closer to the first day of the new plan year.)



Who Should You Call?



We recommend you call the phone number on your insurance card. That number should connect you to customer service for your insurance company or plan and should have the most up to date information about your health plan. If you have an employer-sponsored plan, you may have a benefits administrator you can also ask. Remember, the person answering the phone is not the person making the decisions.



What Should You Say?



The phone script provided on the next pages includes suggested questions you can ask to find out if your plan is providing the women’s preventive services and details about what services they are providing. You do not have to follow the script perfectly. You can use it as a guide.



Opening Question:



Hi. I understand that, under the health care law, new health plans will be providing coverage for women’s preventive services, such as a well woman visit and birth control, with no cost sharing. I am trying to find out whether my plan will be providing these services. Can you tell me when my next plan year or policy year starts and whether my plan is grandfathered under the health care law?



If they say that the plan is not grandfathered:



Q: That means the plan should be providing coverage for the women’s preventive services without cost sharing as of (DATE OF NEXT PLAN YEAR). Is that correct?



If they say NO:



Q: Do you know why the plan is not following the requirement?



(If the associate you are speaking with is unable to answer, you may want to ask to speak with a supervisor. It is possible the associate does not have information on the next plan year.)



If they remain firm that the plan is not providing the coverage then call us at 1-866-PILL4US or email [email protected]



If they say YES:



Q: Do you have information on what services are covered with no cost-sharing?



You may want to ask about a particular service you plan to use. For example, you could ask:



Is it possible to find out if a specific birth control pill will be covered without a co-pay?



Can you tell me if all costs associated with the placement of an IUD are covered without co-pays, including doctor visits and the cost of the procedure?



Do you have details on how breastfeeding support and supplies will be covered?



If they say that the plan is grandfathered:



Q: Do you know if the plan will still be providing the women’s preventive services without cost sharing?



If they say NO:



Grandfathered plans do not have to provide the women’s preventive services, so your plan does not have to provide these services.  If you have employer-sponsored insurance, at the next open enrollment you can look at the materials to see if the plan becomes ungrandfathered or if there is another plan option.



If they say YES:



Potential follow up questions you could ask on how services will be covered:



Is it possible to find out if a specific birth control pill will be covered without a co-pay?



Can you tell me if all costs associated with the placement of an IUD are covered without co-pays, including doctor visits and the cost of the procedure?



Do you have details on how breastfeeding support and supplies will be covered?



 



* There is a limited religious exemption and a safe harbor period for organizations with religious affiliations that have a religious objection to providing contraception or sterilization services.  If your employer or school is claiming the exemption or safe harbor, then your plan will still have to provide the women’s preventive services not related to contraception or sterilization at the start of the next plan year.



Download a PDF of this Fact Sheet >,


Related Posts

CRR Testimony on H.R. 3 Before Committee on Ways and Means

Center for Reproductive Rights Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, Committee on Ways and Means United States House...

Abortion, Anti-Choice Harassment, Funding for Reproductive Healthcare,United States,Engaging Policymakers, In Washington D.C., Reporting on Rights

Shadow Report to the U.N. Human Rights Council on the Second Universal Periodic Review of the U.S.

Click the link below to download the Center’s shadow report to the U.N. Human Rights Council on its Universal Periodic...

Abortion, Other Barriers, Contraception, Funding for Reproductive Healthcare, Other Financial Barriers, Maternal Health, Access to Quality Care,United States, Accountability Bodies, United Nations,At the United Nations, Reporting on Rights

Briefing Paper: The Right to Contraceptive Information and Services for Women and Adolescents

Around the world, the unmet need for safe and effective contraceptive services is staggering: Roughly 215 million women in developing...

Abortion, Adolescent SRHR, Contraception, Funding for Reproductive Healthcare, Public Funding, Maternal Health,United States, Accountability Bodies, United Nations,At the United Nations, Engaging Policymakers, Around the World, Reporting on Rights
Briefing Paper: The Right to Contraceptive Information and Services for Women and Adolescents

Sign up for email updates.

The most up-to-date news on reproductive rights, delivered straight to you.

Footer Menu

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gift Acceptance Policy
  • Contact Us

Center for Reproductive Rights
© (1992-2024)

Use of this site signifies agreement with our disclaimer and privacy policy.

Better Business Bureau Charity Watch Top Rated Center for Reproductive Rights
This site uses necessary, analytics and social media cookies to improve your experience and deliver targeted advertising. Click "Options" or click here to learn more and customize your cookie settings, otherwise please click "Accept" to proceed.
OPTIONSACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-6619340-11 minuteNo description
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
_parsely_session30 minutesThis cookie is used to track the behavior of a user within the current session.
HotJar: _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress30 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjFirstSeen30 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjid1 yearThis cookie is set by Hotjar. This cookie is set when the customer first lands on a page with the Hotjar script. It is used to persist the random user ID, unique to that site on the browser. This ensures that behavior in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.
HotJar: _hjIncludedInPageviewSample2 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjIncludedInSessionSample2 minutesNo description
HotJar: _hjTLDTestsessionNo description
SSCVER1 year 24 daysThe domain of this cookie is owned by Nielsen. The cookie is used for online advertising by creating user profile based on their preferences.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
IMRID1 year 24 daysThe domain of this cookie is owned by Nielsen. The cookie is used for storing the start and end of the user session for nielsen statistics. It helps in consumer profiling for online advertising.
personalization_id2 yearsThis cookie is set by twitter.com. It is used integrate the sharing features of this social media. It also stores information about how the user uses the website for tracking and targeting.
TDID1 yearThe cookie is set by CloudFare service to store a unique ID to identify a returning users device which then is used for targeted advertising.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
adEdition1 dayNo description
akaas_MSNBC10 daysNo description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearNo description
geoEdition1 dayNo description
next-i18next1 yearNo description
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Scroll Up