Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns President Trump’s decision to exempt certain employers from rule requiring health insurance plans to cover birth control.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution condemning President Trump’s decision to exempt certain employers from rule requiring health insurance plans to cover birth control.
Whereas, On October 6, 2017, the Trump administration issued rules allowing employers to claim exemptions from the birth control coverage mandate under the Affordable Care Act, based on moral or religious beliefs; and
Whereas, The birth control coverage mandate, which took effect in 2012, required employers, with certain exceptions, to offer health insurance coverage for birth control, without any co-payments, co-insurance, or deductibles; and
Whereas, The birth control mandate has been a boon to women and families, and has enjoyed broad public support, as demonstrated by numerous public polls; and
Whereas, Under the mandate, in 2014, only four percent of reproductive-age women faced out-of-pocket costs for contraceptives, down from 20 percent two years earlier; and
Whereas, One study found that the mandate saved women $1.4 billion in 2013 on oral contraception alone, and the Obama administration reported that about 55 million women directly benefited from access to birth control without cost; and
Whereas, The Trump administration’s decision to roll back the mandate will likely slow the progress the mandate has achieved, increase costs to women, and damage public health, as many more employers are allowed to seek exemptions from providing coverage; and
Whereas, Prior to the rollback, exemptions existed for organizations and closely-held businesses with religious objections to providing birth control coverage, but the Trump rules are much broader, and provide for little oversight of employers that claim the exemption; and
Whereas, The expanded exemptions from the health insurance coverage mandate for employers will hurt women and families in New Jersey and across the nation; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House condemns President Trump’s decision to exempt certain employers from the rules requiring their health insurance plans to provide cost-free birth control to employees.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President of the United States, every member of Congress elected from this State, and the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns President Trump’s decision to exempt certain employers from the rules requiring their health insurance plans to provide cost-free birth control to employees.
The birth control mandate has been a boon to women and families, and has enjoyed broad public support, as demonstrated by numerous public polls. The Trump administration’s decision to roll back the mandate will likely slow the progress the mandate has achieved, increase costs to women, and damage public health, as it allows many more employers to seek exemptions from providing coverage. The expanded exemptions from the health insurance coverage mandate for employers will hurt women and families in New Jersey and across the nation.