Cristin McCarthy Vahey

I joined fellow legislators Sen. Flexer, Reps. Linehan, Conley, Porter, and Simmons to testify in support of legislation we proposed to protect the “10 essential health benefits” health insurance plans must cover under the Affordable Care Act.

The bill, HB 5210, would require health insurance plans sold in Connecticut continue covering the 10 essential health benefits, regardless of changes made to the Affordable Care Act on the federal level. It would also protect copay-free birth control and expand required contraceptive coverage to include a 12-month supply of contraception dispensed at one time. The legislation has received bipartisan support. Watch the video below to learn more:

Protecting these 10 essential benefits is critical for Connecticut families’ health and wallets. No matter what happens at the federal level, our state shouldn’t go backwards. We introduced this as a women’s health bill because the maternal health care and contraceptive coverage components are so critical to women in particular, but everyone stands to benefit from the range of covered services.

The 10 essential health benefits are:

• Ambulatory patient services
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization
• Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care
• Mental health and substance use disorder services
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• Laboratory services
• Preventive and wellness services
• Pediatric services, including oral and vision care