Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3798) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for limitations on copayments for contraception furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 3798
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act''. SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON COPAYMENTS FOR CONTRACEPTION.
Section 1722A(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``to pay'' and all that follows through the period and inserting ``to pay--''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(A) an amount in excess of the cost to the Secretary for medication described in paragraph (1); or
``(B) an amount for any contraceptive item for which coverage under health insurance coverage is required without the imposition of any cost-sharing requirement pursuant to section 2713(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act (42 USC 300gg-13(a)(4)).''.
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Mr. TAKANO. 3798, as amended.
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 3798, as amended, eliminates copayments on contraceptive items at the Department of Veterans Affairs, ensuring that no veterans, especially women veterans, face economic barriers to a critical component of preventative healthcare.
I thank Congresswoman Brownley for introducing this bill and for her efforts as chair of the Subcommittee on Health and the Women's Veterans Task Force.
Contraception is an essential part of healthcare, and more than 99 percent of women have used birth control at some point in their lives. Women veterans represent the fastest growing population of veterans accessing care through VA, and many are of reproductive age.
Contraception is widely available at VA, and veterans enrolled at VA can obtain oral contraceptives, shots, skin patches, vaginal rings, and long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as implants or intrauterine devices or IUDs. In addition, the VA pharmacy dispenses over-the- counter contraceptives, including condoms and emergency contraception.
Requiring a copay for contraception creates an unnecessary economic barrier to preventative healthcare. Women veterans are more likely to live in poverty than male veterans, and transgender veterans are more likely to live in poverty than cisgender veterans. Even a small copay can be insurmountable for someone trying to make ends meet.
Madam Speaker, passing this bill is especially critical during the pandemic. During times of crisis, such as natural disaster and pandemics, the rate of unplanned pregnancy increases. When so many Americans are experiencing economic hardship, their access to healthcare should be something that they do not have to worry about. This bill has wide VSO support and is also supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I, again, thank Ms. Brownley for her leadership on this issue. I thank Dr. Roe and the minority staff for working with us on this bill, and I look forward to working with our Senate counterparts to get it passed into law before the 116th Congress.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee.
I rise today in support of H.R. 3798, as amended, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act.
This bill is sponsored by Congresswoman Julia Brownley from California. Congresswoman Brownley is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health and the bipartisan Women's Veterans Task Force, and I am grateful for her hard work and steadfast commitment to improving care for all the men and women who have served our Nation in uniform.
The Equal Access to Contraception Act would prevent the Department of Veterans Affairs from charging copayments for contraceptive items and services that veterans receive in the VA. This would create parity between the VA healthcare system and the rest of the healthcare industry, which already exempts prescriptions for contraception from cost-sharing requirements.
Prior to coming to Congress, I spent 30 years in private practice as a board-certified OB/GYN physician, so I know firsthand the importance of reproductive care and regular access to contraception. I am proud to sponsor this bill today to increase access to contraception for the growing number of women who are volunteering for the military and enrolling in the VA healthcare system following their brave service.
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Mr. TAKANO. Brownley), my good friend, the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health, and also the author of this important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, before I conclude my remarks on Ms. Brownley's important piece of legislation on making contraception available on the same basis as the Department of Defense, I, too, want to add my words of praise to my colleague and my partner in the work in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Ranking Member Dr. Phil Roe.
Mr. Speaker, he has so much to point to, the proud list of accomplishments: The Blue Water Navy bill was something that had a chain of ownership. I happened to be the last one on the chain. I know that the gentleman put a lot of work into that.
Even as we approach the month of October, we know that, finally, they are going to implement the caregiver portion of that bill. What a tremendous expansion of caregiver benefits that were previously only available to post-9/11 veterans. I lament that it took that long, but it is here.
Let's also think about the tremendous progress we made on homelessness. It is not done, and it is not over, but we made tremendous strides nationwide in reducing veteran homelessness. We just passed today a very comprehensive bill to deal with the remains of homelessness, which remains a very serious problem in my own home State of California.
Mr. Speaker, Dr. Roe has helped shape our progress on veterans homelessness in so many areas of policy relating to our Nation's veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I join all of my colleagues in saying that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs will miss him.
I know his storytelling, but I learned late this year of his affection for the late folksinger John Prine. I know Dr. Roe plays the guitar, and I hope that before he leaves, he will regale us at some point with either one of his songs or one of the songs that he likes to play on that guitar.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 3798, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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