Mike Dunleavy by Alaska Governor's Office / Wikimedia Commons (Left) / Birth control pills / Adobe Stock
CV NEWS FEED // Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed on September 4 a bill that would have mandated insurance companies to cover prescription contraceptives’ costs for up to a year, according to a report from Alaska’s News Source (ANS). Dunleavy is Catholic.
The state’s House Bill 17 “would [have] allow residents to get 12 month’s worth of prescription contraceptives in advance,” ANS reported. In May, the bill passed in the House with a 28 -11 vote and in the Senate with a 26 -13 vote.
The governor’s communications director, Jeff Turner, described the bill’s mandate as “bad policy,” noting contraceptives’ current expansive availability, according to the article.
According to Anchorage Daily News, most insurance providers in Alaska already offer a 90-day supply of contraceptives for their policyholders.
