Birth Control in the Military: Coverage, Concerns and Cost-Sharing

Featuring:

[Moderator] Courtney Joslin, Resident Fellow, Competition Policy, R Street Institute
Eileen Huck, Government Relations Senior Deputy Director, National Military Family Association
Lory Manning, Director, Government Relations, Service Women’s Action Network

Few Washington debates get as heated as those about birth control and insurance. The Affordable Care Act contraceptive mandate maintains that women receive birth control prescriptions without cost-sharing with limited exceptions. Yet a surprising cohort of U.S. citizens do not enjoy the same privilege: Some military service members, their dependents and veterans do not get the same contraceptive coverage as do their civilian counterparts. And while partisan politics historically divide policymakers on contraceptive coverage, there is a growing bipartisan effort to correct what many view as a discrepancy in how we treat the contraceptive needs of those who have served our country.

How did we get here and what is the solution? On May 17, join Courtney Joslin of the R Street Institute as she moderates a panel of experts to discuss contraceptive coverage policies for service members, why coverage has lagged and what solutions Congress is proposing.