Full year of birth control up for Montana Senate consideration

Elinor Smith

HELENA (UM Legislative Information Service) — As of proper now, Montanans can solely get a number of months of contraception at a time. Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, says she is aware of precisely how irritating it may be to attend in lengthy strains each few months for a prescription she wants. 

She’s sponsoring Home Invoice 302, which might change that — permitting Montanans to get a full yr’s provide of contraception at a time. 

Buckley advised the Senate Enterprise, Labor and Financial Affairs Committee Wednesday that HB 302 wouldn’t get in the way in which of a physician’s relationship with their affected person and would nonetheless enable individuals to get their prescriptions month-by-month. 

“If a affected person is attempting out a brand new model or struggling to seek out the proper contraception answer, this would not be the proper match. It will be the proper match, although, for ladies who know what works for them and who depend on contraceptives for their very own well being. And this laws could be an enormous boon. Lastly, this invoice saves time. It will be enjoyable and laborious to quantify the period of time I and the individuals I do know have spent ready in line to get prescriptions refilled. And that simply provides nervousness of needing to fill a prescription earlier than it runs out,” Buckley mentioned. 

The invoice would cowl all types of contraception that should be refilled month-to-month, just like the capsule or the patch. So, if somebody is anxious they’ll lose their medical insurance or they hate going to the pharmacy, they’ll refill their contraception prescription for a full yr.

Buckley mentioned she designed the invoice to interrupt down limitations to contraceptive entry. She additionally mentioned she needed to verify individuals can keep away from unplanned or undesirable pregnancies and be capable of deal with medical circumstances like endometriosis persistently. 

There have been 5 proponents of the invoice representing healthcare professionals, pharmacists and girls who could be affected by the invoice. Stephanie McDowell spoke as a proponent of the invoice and browse written testimony from Dr. Kristie Bodnar, an OBGYN who couldn’t make it to the listening to. Bodnar wrote that she’s caring for a younger girl who lives in rural Montana, about 45 miles away from a pharmacy. When her automobile broke down, she couldn’t get her prescription so she skipped a number of drugs and she or he’s now pregnant. 

“Sadly, this isn’t an unusual story right here in Montana. Whereas contraception drugs vastly scale back the possibility of getting an unplanned being pregnant, they aren’t good. And lacking, skipping or gaps between drugs vastly reduces the capsule’s effectiveness. Whereas my affected person could have made the troublesome resolution to proceed her being pregnant, not all sufferers can have the identical response to an unplanned being pregnant. I’m pretty sure that Jess wouldn’t have been on this predicament had she had entry to a full-year provide of contraception drugs,” McDowell mentioned, studying Bodnar’s assertion. 

There was just one opponent of the invoice. John Doran is the Vice President of Exterior Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Protect of Montana. He solely opposed the invoice as a result of he says it wants two amendments to operate appropriately if it passes.

One to make it so insurance coverage corporations don’t have to provide again pay for drugs somebody took earlier than they have been a policyholder and the second to make sure the contraception can really be paid for by insurance coverage. 

“So once more, we advocate that you simply do placed on these amendments. And it’s a actually, actually good invoice, and with these amendments we come right into a place of full help,” Doran mentioned.

The invoice handed the Home on a 74-25 vote. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Jason Small from Busby requested if he might sponsor the invoice as soon as it reaches the total Senate. The committee didn’t take instant motion on the invoice.