Committee OKs birth-control bill

BOISE — The Idaho Senate Commerce and Human Resources committee on Thursday voted 5-3 to approve a bill to increase insurance coverage of contraceptives.

The bill’s sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, said SB 1234 would improve health care access for women across the state, both for family planning and other medical uses for contraceptives such as to treat endometriosis or heavy or irregular menstruation.

“I think this is a great bill to support women,” Wintrow said.

Under the legislation, health insurance companies would be required to cover contraceptive prescriptions for up to six months of supply at a time. Insurers in the state now limit coverage to three months.

Wintrow said it would improve access to prescriptions as well as reduce administrative costs if pharmacies aren’t having to fill them as often.

Contraceptives are defined as prescribed “drugs, devices, and products approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration that are used to prevent pregnancy.” This would not apply to medications that induce abortions or emergency contraceptives.

This marks the third time Wintrow has tried passing similar legislation and the fifth time it has come before the body. The most recent version passed the Senate but died on the House floor in 2022.

She told committee members she saw an advertisement for Viagra, which she said could be prescribed online and shipped to a person’s home, and thought it would be nice if access to birth control was as convenient.

Wintrow yielded much of her presentation time to Dr. Abby Davids, a family medicine doctor in Boise.

Wintrow and Davids said that providing a longer duration of birth control can improve the efficacy of it, which helps lead to lower incidence of unplanned pregnancies.

Current and former doctors testified in favor of the bill, many of them saying it would improve access, especially in rural areas, because patients wouldn’t need to visit the pharmacy as often.

Chelsea Maude, of Moscow, said she’s faced a series of hurdles in trying to obtain her prescribed contraceptives, including understaffed pharmacies, her prescription being on back order, and being unable to refill it when traveling.

“As a one-income household, with myself being in graduate school, family planning is very important to us, and it’s imperative to receive my oral contraception medication on time with minimal barriers,” Maude said.

All of the testimony given was in favor.

Maddie Oppenheimer said, as a 22-year-old recent college graduate, having access to affordable and convenient birth control is a major factor for herself and her peers when trying to decide whether to stay in Idaho.

“Voting against this bill will inevitably drive young people out of Idaho, which will have a significant impact on the future workforce and Idaho’s ability to succeed,” Oppenheimer said.

Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking, D-Boise, made a motion to send the bill to the Senate. She had worked on previous iterations of the legislation, and said it would especially help young women who are going to college who have extra hurdles when it comes to accessing contraceptives.

She also noted that she had no problem getting a year’s supply of medicine to treat high cholesterol, but women can’t get more than three months of birth control.

Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow, said he thought improving access was a “smart idea,” and he could see how it could lead to cost savings, but didn’t think it was the proper role of government.

“Yes, indeed it is a light touch, and I appreciate that, but when it comes to government intrusion in the private sector, there shouldn’t be any touch,” Foreman said. “Insurance companies and insurance can speak for themselves.”

Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, countered that it wasn’t unusual at all for the state to regulate insurance companies, noting that the state has a Department of Insurance that seeks to “protect Idahoans by equitably, effectively and efficiently administering the Idaho Insurance Code,” according to its website.

“The idea that we shouldn’t be regulating insurance is probably news to every insurance company in the state,” Ruchti said.

The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.