This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Insurance and business leaders gave the all-male Senate Health and Human Services Committee the reasons they were looking for to kill the so-called “pill bill” for the eighth year in a row Wednesday - complaints about unfunded mandates, health care costs and meddling in the marketplace.

Sen. Scott McCoy, a Salt Lake City Democrat, argued SB42 would simply put in law what most Utah insurance companies already provide - coverage of birth control pills and other contraception for women.

“Every single private [insurance] plan in Utah offers contraceptive coverage. Every small business in this state is already paying for plans to have this coverage,” he said. “It's time we put it in statute.”

But Utah Health Insurance Association Director Kelly Atkinson said requiring insurance companies to cover birth control will only make Utah women think they won't have to pay for their pills. He noted 68 percent of women in the state are covered by insurance companies governed by federal law, which does not require contraception coverage. The other 32 percent already are covered by insurance plans that cover birth control.

“This issue has been addressed,” Atkinson said. “It consumes a lot of time, a lot of effort for a problem we think has been addressed.”

But advocates for women's health said requiring insurance companies to cover birth control is a matter of good policy, especially considering lawmakers' rush to restrict access to abortions.

Planned Parenthood Director Karrie Galloway said she believes legislative restrictions on abortion “come from the heart. What also can come from the heart is providing health care that eliminates the need for abortion.”

Galloway noted every dollar spent on prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases saves another $4 in related medical costs.

Added Cynthia Jones, an obstetrician and gynecologist: “Contraception is a huge component of what women need to keep themselves healthy and plan their pregnancies.”

With a tie vote along party lines, the bill died in committee.

HEALTH

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