WA: Insurance denies birth control

[ajlauer]

Washington State:
My insurance company will not pay for any oral contraceptions, for the purpose of contraception. I thought that was illegal in this state, and told them it was. They came back to me saying something about not having to follow Washington State Mandates. That makes no sense to me. Don't they have to provide coverage for oral contraception? I was thinknig someone in this state won a lawsuit (calling it gender discrimination) just a month ago over this same issue.
Thanks.

 

[ALawyer]

Under the Federal law known as ERISA, many employer sponsored medical plans are not "insurance" or are otherwise exempt from state law requirements, although they may be administered for the employers by insurance companies.

I would call the state Insurance Department and State labor department for advice on this.

By the way, insurance companies and others usually provide the employer with EXACTLY the health plan the employer wants to buy -- adding or deleting benefits as the employer requests.

The fault is not the insurance company's but the employer's, as if the employer wanted to pay for it to be added the insurance company would. Of course many plans don't want to because it costs more money, or is contrary to the executives' or owners' religious or other principles. Also, as pills are only one method of birth control and therer are many other methods of contraceptives that the employer would not pay for, it may feel why should it? If the pills are designed to cure another medical condiiton, I'd bet they would be covered.

 

[wtd]

Gender discrimination?
Does the insurance company pay for condoms?

They probably don't pay for any form of birth control. I'm not sure about the laws particular to Washington, but it doesn't really seem that the insurance company is being unfair.

They probably don't pay for birth control for the very same reason that they won't pay to put you in a body cast to prevent you from breaking any bones.