,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ieg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #bg1 #bjag,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,franken1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,ms4 ,hassan1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,tester1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,mr4 ,peters7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 to ensure that women members of the ,armed ,forces and their families have access to the contraception they need in order to promote the health and readiness of all members of the ,armed ,forces1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,access to ,contraception for ,women ,servicemembers and ,dependents ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,women are serving in the ,armed ,forces at increasing rates1 playing a critical role in the national security of the ,united ,states4 ,women comprise just over #ae percent of military service members and more than #bjj1jjj women serve on active duty in the ,armed ,forces or in the ,selected ,reserve4 7#b7 ,more than #ie percent of women serving in the military are of reproductive age4 ,and approximately #a1ajj1jjj female spouses and dependents of active duty military personnel are of reproductive age4 7#c7 ,,tricare covered approximately #a1djj1jjj women of reproductive age in #bjae1 including female spouses and dependents of active duty military personnel4 ,for approximately #ijj1jjj of these women1 ,,tricare was their only source of coverage4 7#d7 ,contraception is critical for women's health and is highly effective at reducing unintended pregnancy4 ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention describe contraception as one of the #aj greatest public health achievements of the twentieth century4 7#e7 ,contraceptive access is strongly connected to women's greater educational and professional opportunities and increased lifetime earnings4 ,increased wages and increased control over reproductive decisions provide women with educational and professional opportunities that have increased gender equality over the decades since contraception was introduced4 7#f7 ,studies have shown that when cost barriers to the full range of methods of contraception are eliminated1 and women receive comprehensive counseling on the various methods of contraception 7including highly effective and more expensive ,long-,acting ,reversible ,contraceptives 7,l,a,r,cs771 rates of unintended pregnancy decline4 ,costs can be prohibitive1 particularly for ,l,a,r,cs which can have high upfront costs4 7#g7 ,research has also shown that investments in effective contraception save public and private dollars4 7#h7 ,in order to fill gaps in coverage and access to preventive care critical for women's health1 the ,affordable ,care ,act 7,,aca7 requires all non-grandfathered individual and group health plans to cover without cost-sharing preventive services1 including a set of evidence-based preventive services for women supported by the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration 7,,hrsa74 ,these women's preventive services include the full range of female-controlled ,u4,s4 ,food and ,drug ,administration-approved contraceptive methods1 effective family planning practices1 and sterilization procedures4 ,,hrsa has affirmed that contraceptive care includes contraceptive counseling1 initiation of contraceptive use1 and follow-up care 7e4g41 management1 and evaluation as well as changes to and removal or discontinuation of the contraceptive method74 7#i7 ,under the ,,tricare program1 servicewomen on active duty have full coverage of all prescription drugs1 including contraception1 without cost-sharing requirements4 ,however1 servicewomen not on active duty and female dependents of members of the ,armed ,forces do not have similar coverage of all prescription methods of contraception approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration without cost-sharing4 7#aj7 ,studies indicate that servicewomen need comprehensive counseling for pregnancy prevention1 particularly in their predeployment preparations1 and the lack thereof is contributing to unintended pregnancies among servicewomen4 7#aa7 ,research studies based on the ,department of ,defense ,survey of ,health ,related ,behaviors ,among ,active ,duty ,military ,personnel found a high unintended rate of pregnancy among servicewomen4 ,adjusting for the difference between age distributions in the ,armed ,forces and the general population1 the rate of unintended pregnancy among servicewomen is higher than among the general population4 7#ab7 ,the ,defense ,advisory ,committee on ,women in the ,services 7,,dacowits7 has recommended that all the ,armed ,forces1 to the extent that they have not already1 implement initiatives that inform servicemembers of the importance of family planning1 educate them on methods of contraception1 and make various methods of contraception available1 based on the finding that family planning can increase the overall readiness and quality of life of all members of the ,armed ,forces4 7#ac7 ,health care1 including family planning for survivors of sexual assault in the ,armed ,forces is a critical issue1 particularly given the prevalence of sexual assault in the military4 ,recent data show that women in the military are five times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than men4 ,servicewomen who are survivors of sexual assault should not be treated differently from civilian survivors4 ,the ,department of ,defense reported that there were more than #c1jjj reported sexual assaults involving service members in fiscal year #bjaa4 7#ad7 ,servicewomen on active duty report rates of unwanted sexual contact at approximately #af times those of the comparable general population of women in the ,united ,states4 ,through regulations1 the ,department of ,defense already supports a policy of ensuring that servicewomen who are sexually assaulted have access to emergency contraception4 #c4 ,contraception coverage parity under the ,,tricare program 7a7 ,in general ,section #ajgd;d of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in the subsection heading1 by inserting for members and former members after ,services available2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking subsection 7b7 and inserting subsection 7d72 7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7b7 as subsection 7d72 and 7#c7 by inserting after subsection 7a7 the following new subsections3 7b7 ,care related to prevention of pregnancy ,female covered beneficiaries shall be entitled to care related to the prevention of pregnancy described in subsection 7d77#c74 7c7 ,prohibition on cost-,sharing for certain services ,notwithstanding section #ajgd;g7a77#f71 section #ajge1 or section #ajge;a of this title or any other provision of law1 cost-sharing may not be imposed or collected for care related to the prevention of pregnancy provided pursuant to subsection 7a7 or 7b71 including for any method of contraception provided1 whether provided through a facility of the uniformed services1 the ,,tricare retail pharmacy program1 or the national mail-order pharmacy program4 4 7b7 ,care related to prevention of pregnancy ,subsection 7d77#c7 of such section1 as redesignated by subsection 7a77#b71 is further amended by inserting before the period at the end the following3 7including all methods of contraception approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration1 contraceptive care 7including with respect to insertion1 removal1 and follow up71 sterilization procedures1 and patient education and counseling in connection therewith74 7c7 ,conforming amendment ,section #ajgg7;a77#ac7 of such title is amended by striking section #ajgd;d7b7 and inserting section #ajgd;d7d74 #d4 ,education on family planning for members of the ,armed ,forces 7a7 ,education programs 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish a uniform standard curriculum that will be used in education programs on family planning for all members of the ,armed ,forces1 including both men and women members4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the education programs described in paragraph 7#a7 should use the latest technology available to efficiently and effectively deliver information to members of the ,armed ,forces4 7b7 ,elements ,the uniform standard curriculum established under subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,information for members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty to make informed decisions regarding family planning4 7#b7 ,information about the prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections1 including human immunodeficiency virus4 7#c7 ,information on the importance of providing comprehensive family planning for members of the ,armed ,forces and their commanding officers and on the positive impact family planning can have on the health and readiness of the ,armed ,forces4 7#d7 ,current1 medically accurate information4 7#e7 ,clear1 user-friendly information on the full range of methods of contraception and where members of the ,armed ,forces can access their chosen method of contraception4 7#f7 ,information on all applicable laws and policies so that members of the ,armed ,forces are informed of their rights and obligations4 7#g7 ,information on patients' rights to confidentiality4 7#h7 ,information on the unique circumstances encountered by members of the ,armed ,forces1 and the effects of such circumstances on the use of contraception4 #e4 ,pregnancy prevention assistance at military treatment facilities for women who are sexual assault survivors 7a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this section is to provide in statute1 and to enhance1 existing regulations that require health care providers at military treatment facilities to consult with survivors of sexual assault once clinically stable regarding options for emergency contraception and any necessary follow-up care1 including the provision of emergency contraception4 7b7 ,in general ,the assistance specified in subsection 7c7 shall be provided at every military treatment facility to the following3 7#a7 ,any woman who presents at a military treatment facility and states to personnel of the facility that she is a victim of sexual assault or is accompanied by another individual who states that the woman is a victim of sexual assault4 7#b7 ,any woman who presents at a military treatment facility and is reasonably believed by personnel of such facility to be a survivor of sexual assault4 7c7 ,assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the assistance specified in this subsection shall include the following3 7,a7 ,the prompt provision by appropriate staff of the military treatment facility of comprehensive1 medically and factually accurate1 and unbiased written and oral information about all methods of emergency contraception approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration4 7,b7 ,the prompt provision by such staff of emergency contraception to a woman upon her request4 7,c7 ,notification to the woman of her right to confidentiality in the receipt of care and services pursuant to this section4 7#b7 ,nature of information ,the information provided pursuant to paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall be provided in language that is clear and concise1 is readily comprehensible1 and meets such conditions 7including conditions regarding the provision of information in languages other than ,english7 as the ,secretary may provide in regulations prescribed pursuant to this section4