Bill to provide 12 months of birth control passes Montana Senate
Montanans have to go to the pharmacy every couple of months to refill their birth control if they want to avoid getting pregnant or need to treat a medical condition.
A bill that would change that by requiring insurance to cover birth control refills for up to a year at a time passed in the Senate Wednesday on a vote of 37-to-12.
Rep. Alice Buckley, D- Bozeman, is the sponsor of House Bill 302, but Sen. Jason Small, R-Busby, carried it in the Senate. He said during debate on the bill Tuesday that it would make sure women can consistently manage their health without having to periodically ask for their medicine.
“And we all understand, while abstinence is the most effective form of birth control, it's kind of an unrealistic expectation a lot of the time. Plus, a lot of women have health issues that are controlled or helped out by taking birth control pills also. And those include things like ovarian cysts, endometriosis. They need the pills to help them function properly and correctly. And it's a matter of health. So this bill will basically help prevent delays in coverage,” Small said.
Proponents said the bill would provide security for women across the state so they always have access to their birth control no matter what.