H-4392.1          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 2770

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State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By Representatives Patterson, Cody, Brown, K. Schmidt, Hankins, Mitchell, Reams, Dyer, Costa, H. Sommers, Cooke and Tokuda

Read first time 01/18/96.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Providing health insurance benefits for family planning.

     AN ACT Relating to health insurance benefits for family planning; and adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 48.43 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) The legislature finds that nearly sixty percent of all pregnancies are unintended at the time of conception, and more than half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion.  In order to help women avoid unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion, the legislature intends to increase access to contraceptive services.

     (2) Every health plan issued or renewed by a health carrier after July 1, 1996, that includes benefits for prescription drugs must include federal drug administration-approved prescriptive contraceptive drugs and devices, subject to the plan's formulary.  The formulary must include at least oral contraceptives, injectable contraceptives, and diaphragms.

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