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S. 1847 116th Congress Senate

Affordability is Access Act

Official title: A bill to require group health plans and group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives.

Introduced: June 13, 2019 Introduced by: Patty Murray Democratic · Washington See on congress.gov
Health Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulationFamily planning and birth controlHealth care costs and insuranceHealth care coverage and access
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Health promotion and preventive careMedical researchResearch and developmentRetail and wholesale tradesWomen's health
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 13, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Jun 13, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action June 13, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Affordability is Access Act

This bill establishes several requirements relating to health-insurance coverage of, and access to, over-the-counter contraceptives.

Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury to specify that private health-insurance plans must cover over-the-counter contraceptives that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), even without a prescription. Under current law, private health-insurance plans (with some exceptions) must cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, without cost-sharing requirements.

The bill also prohibits retailers from interfering with an individual's access to oral contraceptives that are meant for routine, daily use and are FDA-approved for use without a prescription.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1847: Affordability is Access Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1847/
MLA
"S. 1847: Affordability is Access Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1847/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1847, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1847/.
Markdown link
[S. 1847: Affordability is Access Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1847/)
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