,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ajdi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #d1 #bjai,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,tester1 and ,ms4 ,warren7 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 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 ,servicemembers and ,dependents ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 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 more than #ag percent of members of the ,armed ,forces and as of #bjah1 nearly #cej1jjj women serve on active duty in the ,armed ,forces or in the ,selected ,reserve of the ,ready ,reserve of the reserve components of the ,armed ,forces4 7#b7 ,ninety-five percent of women serving in the ,armed ,forces are of reproductive age and as of #bjag1 more than #gjj1jjj female spouses and dependents of members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty are of reproductive age4 7#c7 ,the ,,tricare program covered #a1efc1gbg women of reproductive age in #bjag1 including female spouses and dependents of members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty4 7#d7 ,the benefits of contraception are widely recognized and include improved health and well-being1 reduced global maternal mortality1 health benefits of pregnancy spacing for maternal and child health1 and greater educational and professional opportunities and increased lifetime earnings for women4 7#e7 ,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 contraceptives71 rates of unintended pregnancy decline4 7#f7 ,research has also shown that investments in effective contraception save public and private dollars4 7#g7 ,in order to fill gaps in coverage and access to preventive care critical for women's health1 the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7,public ,law #aaa-adh7 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 of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 ,these women's preventive services include the full range of female-controlled contraceptive methods1 effective family planning practices1 and sterilization procedures approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration4 ,the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration has affirmed that contraceptive care includes contraceptive counseling1 initiation of contraceptive use1 and follow-up care 7such as management1 evaluation1 and changes to and removal or discontinuation of the contraceptive method74 7#h7 ,under the ,,tricare program1 women members of the ,armed ,forces on active duty have full coverage of all prescription drugs1 including contraception1 without cost-sharing requirements1 which is consistent with requirements under the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7,public ,law #aaa-adh71 which requires coverage of all contraceptive methods approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration for women and related services and education and counseling4 ,however1 women members not on active duty and female dependents of members do not have similar coverage of all prescription methods of contraception approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration without cost-sharing when filling a prescription outside of a military medical treatment facility4 7#i7 ,studies indicate that women members of the ,armed ,forces need comprehensive counseling for pregnancy prevention and the lack thereof is contributing to unintended pregnancies among such women members4 ,additionally1 they need counseling on and availability of contraception for non-contraceptive benefits 7for example1 menstrual suppression and predictable menstrual patterns71 which is important in ensuring readiness for deployment to remote or operational theaters4 7#aj7 ,research studies based on the ,department of ,defense ,survey of ,health ,related ,behaviors ,among ,active ,duty ,military ,personnel found a high rate of unintended pregnancy among women members of the ,armed ,forces4 ,adjusting for the difference between age distributions in the ,armed ,forces and the general population1 the rate of unintended pregnancy among women members of the ,armed ,forces is higher than among the general population4 7#aa7 ,the ,defense ,advisory ,committee on ,women in the ,services has recommended that all the ,armed ,forces1 to the extent that they have not already1 implement initiatives that inform members of the ,armed ,forces 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#ab7 ,the military departments received more than #f1gjj reports of sexual assaults involving members of the ,armed ,forces as victims or subjects during fiscal year #bjag4 ,through regulations1 the ,department of ,defense already supports a policy of ensuring that women members of the ,armed ,forces who are sexually assaulted have access to emergency contraception1 and the initiation of contraception if desired and medically appropriate4 #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 the header for subsection 7a71 by inserting for members and former members after services available2 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 by 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#b7 of this section1 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 ,pregnancy prevention assistance at military medical treatment facilities for sexual assault survivors 7a7 ,in general ,chapter #ee of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #ajgdo the following new section3 #ajgdp4 ,provision of pregnancy prevention assistance at military medical treatment facilities 7a7 ,information and assistance ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall promptly furnish to sexual assault survivors at each military medical treatment facility the following3 7#a7 ,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 ,notification of the right of the sexual assault survivor to confidentiality with respect to the information and care and services furnished under this section4 7#c7 ,upon request by the sexual assault survivor1 emergency contraception or1 if applicable1 a prescription for emergency contraception4 7b7 ,information ,the ,secretary shall ensure that information provided pursuant to subsection 7a7 is provided in language that-- 7#a7 is clear and concise2 7#b7 is readily comprehensible2 and 7#c7 meets such conditions 7including conditions regarding the provision of information in languages other than ,english7 as the ,secretary may prescribe in regulations to carry out this section4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term sexual assault means the conduct described in section #aefe;b7c77#a7 of this title that may result in pregnancy4 7#b7 ,the term sexual assault survivor means any individual who presents at a military medical treatment facility and-- 7,a7 states to personnel of the facility that the individual experienced a sexual assault2 7,b7 is accompanied by another person who states that the individual experienced a sexual assault2 or 7,c7 whom the personnel of the facility reasonably believes to be a survivor of sexual assault4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #ajgdo the following new item3 #ajgdp4 ,provision of pregnancy prevention assistance at military medical treatment facilities4 4 #e4 ,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 to be used in education programs on family planning for all members of the ,armed ,forces1 including both men and women members1 during the following periods3 7,a7 ,the first year of service4 7,b7 ,when a member is in training to assume command4 7,c7 ,when an enlisted member becomes a senior enlisted member4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the education programs under paragraph 7#a7 should be evidence-informed and use the latest technology available to efficiently and effectively deliver information to members of the ,armed ,forces4 7b7 ,elements ,the uniform standard curriculum 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 virus 7commonly known as ,,hiv74 7#c7 ,information on-- 7,a7 the importance of providing comprehensive family planning for members of the ,armed ,forces1 including commanding officers2 and 7,b7 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-- 7,a7 the full range of methods of contraception approved by the ,food and ,drug ,administration2 and 7,b7 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 the rights of patients to confidentiality4 7#h7 ,information on the unique circumstances encountered by members of the ,armed ,forces and the effects of such circumstances on the use of contraception4