Attorney General Jay Jones announced on Mar. 17 that he has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief to challenge the Trump Administration’s regulations that reduce the Affordable Care Act’s guarantee of no-cost contraception coverage through employer health care plans.
The issue is significant because the regulations could allow employers to remove guaranteed birth control coverage, potentially shifting costs onto women and states. The coalition urges the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to uphold a District Court ruling that found these regulations unlawful.
“The Affordable Care Act guarantees that employer health plans cover contraception without cost sharing. Donald Trump’s administration attempted to rewrite that law by creating sweeping exemptions allowing employers to deny birth control coverage outright,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “This effort is about nothing more than dismantling a core protection of the Affordable Care Act, eroding coverage, and shifting the cost of contraception onto women, families, and states like Virginia. When the federal government ignores the law and undermines access to basic health care, states have a responsibility to stand up. Virginia is doing exactly that to ensure that Donald Trump’s unlawful rollback of contraceptive coverage does not stand.”
The brief argues that hundreds of thousands of women nationwide could lose contraceptive coverage if these rules remain in place. The coalition notes that over 80 percent of women ages 18 to 49 use some form of contraception each year, with average annual costs reaching $584 per user. If upheld, these regulations could shift an estimated $73.8 million in costs onto individuals who rely on contraceptive care and increase financial strain on states such as Virginia due to higher public health program expenses.
Access to reproductive health services has already declined since implementation of these rules, according to Jones and his colleagues. They say this trend may worsen amid recent abortion restrictions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, making reliable access to contraception even more important for those experiencing unintended pregnancies.
The coalition also highlights concerns about deepening disparities in healthcare access for communities of color and lower income groups living in so-called “contraceptive deserts.” Millions already face barriers obtaining birth control; policies allowing employers to deny coverage would further impact working families.
Jones was joined by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
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