Contraceptives, Abortion Policy Continued

The recently enacted catchall spending bill for the current fiscal year continues prior policies in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program that generally require plans to cover prescription contraceptives and to generally ban coverage of elective abortions. A version of that section of law drafted last year in the Senate when Democrats were in control would have dropped the restriction on abortion but the language was reinstated in the latest version, written with Republicans in control. While the White House in 2001 had proposed lifting the requirement for prescription contraceptives, that request was denied that year and has not been raised since.