Nancy L. Johnson: “I know this is a difficult issue for everybody and I regret to have to rise in strong opposition to this rule and to…”

“I know this is a difficult issue for everybody and I regret to have to rise in strong opposition to this rule and to encourage the Republicans and Democrats, pro-life and pro-choice, to oppose this rule. I do not know how many of you know women in America who use prescription contraceptives to plan their families, to manage their reproductive capability, but in my experience of the women who are of childbearing age, 99 percent, 95 percent, a very large percent of women in America use prescription contraceptives and many States require that any health plan offering prescription drugs include prescription contraceptives in order to be a nondiscriminatory prescription drug plan. This bill for the first time explicitly says that any HMO CEO, who personally defines prescription contraceptives as an abortifacient, can alter their plan to deny women the right to coverage under their prescription drug plan of prescription contraceptives. Ladies and gentlemen, that is wrong. Never have we given, and here it is right in the bill, a provider sponsored organization, (that is a PSO), a health maintenance organization, (that is an HMO), a health insurance plan the power to deny legal benefits. Health insurance plans and the standards they must abide by are set by State law. This is a massive override of State law that regulates health insurance plans and benefits.”