Protect Our Care Wisconsin: Statement: Biden-Harris administration announces new rule to expand access to free contraception

The Affordable Care Act Is the Bedrock of Our Health Care System. As Democrats Continue to Expand on Its Life-Saving Measures, Republicans Want to Rip It All Away.

Washington, D.C. — Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced their new proposed rule to expand coverage of affordable contraception under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). When this rule is finalized, it will extend contraception coverage for 52 million people with private health insurance. This the largest expansion of contraceptive coverage since 2012 when contraception was first required to be covered under the ACA.

This comes at a time when Republicans’ are doubling down on their decades-long attacks on critical reproductive health care. Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, they have been working overtime to implement dangerous abortion bans across the country, block IVF, and make it harder to access birth control. These dangerous restrictions threaten the health and lives of millions, forcing health care providers to close in states across the country. Additionally, they want to eliminate the ACA altogether, cut funding from Medicaid and Medicare, and make prescription drugs more expensive by repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and banning Medicare from negotiating drug prices. The consequences of these restrictions have been most detrimental for women of color, people living in rural areas, and lower-income Americans who face the steepest barriers to accessing care.

In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“This is big news for 52 million Americans who will soon have access to over-the-counter contraception at no cost. The Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to advancing reproductive freedom while Republicans are dead set on ripping it away. This new rule will give millions of Americans peace of mind accessing contraception since the fall of Roe v. Wade tore federal protections for many reproductive services away. Not only does Donald Trump repeatedly brag about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, his first goal as president was to repeal the ACA. and when that failed, he sabotaged the law until the bitter end. As a result, millions of Americans lost their health care coverage and access to the critical care they needed to stay healthy. The Republican ‘Project 2025’ blueprint further attacks women’s health care by calling for a total abortion ban and the removal of safe, effective abortion medication from the market entirely. Patients and families deserve access to medication and treatment without political interference.”