Alaska governor vetoes bill requiring insurance cover a year of birth control at a time

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have forced insurance companies to cover a year’s supply of contraceptives at a time, a measure advocates say is especially important to provide access in rural areas.

In an emailed statement, Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said the Republican governor vetoed the bill because “contraceptives are widely available and forcing insurance companies to provide mandatory coverage for a year is bad policy.”

The measure passed the state legislature overwhelmingly this year, 29-11 in the Republican-controlled House and 16-3 in the bipartisan Senate. Insurance companies did not oppose it, proponents noted.

“Governor Dunleavy’s veto of HB 17, after eight years of tireless effort, overwhelming community support, and positive collaboration with insurance companies, is deeply disappointing,” said Democratic Rep. Ashley Carrick, the bill’s sponsor. “There is simply no justification for vetoing a bill that would ensure that everyone in Alaska, regardless of where they live, has access to essential medications like birth control.”

Supporters of the bill said the veto would perpetuate barriers that hamper access to contraception in much of the state, including towns accessible only by air and for patients in Alaska who have Medicaid, where supplies of birth control pills are limited to one month at a time.

“Those who live outside of our urban centers — year-round or seasonal — deserve the same access to contraception as those who live near a pharmacy,” said Rose O’Hara-Jolley, executive director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates in the state of Alaska, in a press release.

Advocates also said that improving access to contraception would reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions.