2019 Legislative Priorities
• Repeal criminal code pertaining to abortion (§61-2-8. Abortion; penalty)
• Expand access to DHHR Family Planning Program
• Require Medicaid reimbursement for doula services
• Improve access to birth control by enabling 12-Month supply prescriptions
• Require data collection of sexual assault on college campuses to be housed for analysis at the Human Rights Commission
• Require pay transparency
• Support paid family leave
• Repeal the lifetime ban on SNAP benefits for individuals with substance use disorder
• Expand Medicaid for pregnant people
• Ensure compassionate treatment for pregnant people with substance use disorder
12-Month Supply of Birth Control
Overview
West Virginia can reduce barriers to obtaining contraceptives by following the lead of several states that have passed legislation requiring that public and private insurance plans cover a 12-month supply of prescribed, self-administered contraceptives – such as the ring, the patch, and oral contraceptives – at one time.
By providing long-term, uninterrupted access to contraception, this legislation would remove significant barriers to consistent use of birth control and improve health and economic outcomes for families.
Facts and Impact
• 1 in 4 women report they have missed birth control pills because they could not get the next pack in time.
• Dispensing one year’s supply at a time removes significant barriers to dependable birth control access.
• Studies show that dispensing a greater supply of contraceptives at a clinical visit is associated with fewer repeat visits, greater contraceptive continuation, and a reduction in the odds of unintended pregnancy. • Researchers observed a 30% reduction in the odds of unintended pregnancy and a 46% reduction in the odds of abortion when a 1-year supply of contraceptives was distributed, compared to only a one to three-month supply.
• By preventing just one unintended pregnancy, a public insurer will save the cost of prenatal care, labor and delivery, post-partum care, and 12 months of infant care – an average of $13,930.
• This bill has passed in Virginia, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont, and D.C.
HB 4284: Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act
In 2014, the West Virginia Legislature unanimously passed HB 4284, “The West Virginia Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act,” an amendment to the West Virginia Human Rights Act which allows a pregnant woman to continue to do her job and provide for her family by requiring her employer to make the same sorts of reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions that he or she already makes for individuals who have a temporary disability.
The Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act went into effect on July 1, 2015. Are you pregnant and work in West Virginia? Are you a nursing mom who needs to pump at work? Know your rights.
Other Proactive Policy Highlights Include:
2005: led a Prescription Fairness coalition, mandating insurance coverage of prescription birth control
2007: helped establish a $1.8 million budget increase for the Department of Health and Human Resources Family Planning Program
2011: worked with West Virginia House leadership to pass a citation recognizing Title X and the benefits of family planning for the state
2012: supported allies as they successfully fought to create the West Virginia Herb Henderson Office of Minority Affairs
2013: worked with Senate leadership to pass legislation mandating insurance coverage of maternity care for dependent daughters
2013: fought with a coalition of partners to pass a bill that increased our state’s minimum wage
2014: fought with a coalition of partners to protect clean water following the chemical spill into the Elk River
