Bills to Expand Preventative & Reproductive Health Care Clear Committee!

Legislation would protect health coverage outlined under the ACA & expand access to critical family planning services and preventative care

DENVER, CO – Last night, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved two pieces of legislation that would permanently protect preventative health benefits covered by insurance carriers, and expand access to vital care. 

SB21-016, sponsored by Senators Brittany Pettersen and Dominick Moreno, would enshrine provisions already established by federal law under the Affordable Care Act, solidifying their place in Colorado law and ensuring that Coloradans will be protected – regardless of potential national rollbacks of insurance coverage. 

“Persisting barriers within our healthcare system keep patients from accessing the treatment they need,” said Senator Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City. “With this bill, we will be able to break down some of these barriers while expanding access to preventative care to ensure that our residents can get the vital services they need to stay healthy.”

The bill would also mandate an expansion of covered preventative healthcare benefits to include osteoporosis screening, urinary incontinence screening, and the screening and treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

SB21-025, also sponsored by Senator Pettersen, would expand eligibility requirements for family planning services to allow more low-income Coloradans to access reproductive care – make it easier for women particularly those most marginalized, to access contraceptives.

“Reproductive health care should be a fundamental right, not a privilege. Yet countless low-income women from marginalized communities are unable to access this critical care due to cost,” said Senator Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood. “We need to ensure that all women, regardless of financial resources, are able to receive the family planning services they need to decide if and when they want to start a family - helping ensure financially secure and healthy families.”

As of 2019, there were 58,000 women in Colorado without health insurance coverage for family planning services, and more than 21,000 of them fell between 139% and 250% of the Federal Poverty Line.

As such, the bill would increase income eligibility limits for family planning services up to 260 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Currently, adults are eligible for these services with incomes up to 133% FPL, but tens of thousands of Coloradans lack access to needed family planning services. The legislation would also support the health and well-being of families and children by reducing unintended pregnancies, empowering people to attain their education goals, help create financially secure and strong families, and reduce the number of people who need to use Medicaid and CHP+ for pregnancy and postpartum coverage.

Both bills now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.