Affordability is Access Act
Latest action · May 27, 2022 Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 27, 2022
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Affordability is Access Act
This bill establishes several requirements relating to health insurance coverage of, and access to, over-the-counter contraceptives.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury to specify that private health insurance plans must cover over-the-counter contraceptives that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), even without a prescription. Under current law, private health insurance plans (with some exceptions) must cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives, without cost-sharing requirements.
The bill also prohibits retailers from interfering with an individual's access to oral contraceptives that are meant for routine, daily use and are FDA-approved for use without a prescription.
Cosponsors 100
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 27, 2022 to Sep 29, 2022; 92 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NC | Alma S. Adams | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Ami Bera | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MI | Andy Levin | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MD | Anthony G. Brown | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Bradley Scott Schneider | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Cheri Bustos | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MA | Jake Auchincloss | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Jamaal Bowman | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Jimmy Gomez | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Kathy Castor | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NC | Kathy E. Manning | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WA | Kim Schrier | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Lauren Underwood | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Lois Frankel | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MA | Lori Trahan | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-GA | Lucy McBath | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Marie Newman | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Ritchie Torres | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-IL | Sean Casten | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Original | May 27, 2022 |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Jun 3, 2022 | |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Jul 14, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Mary Gay Scanlon | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Jul 26, 2022 | |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Aug 9, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Joseph D. Morelle | Sep 29, 2022 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 27, 2022 |
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred May 27, 2022 |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred May 27, 2022 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 27, 2022Introduced in House
- May 27, 2022Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 93, May 27, 2022, page H5221.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3296 | Affordability is Access Act | Reintroduction of | Jun 17, 2019 |
| S 4347 | Affordability is Access Act | Identical bill | May 26, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To require group health plans and group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Affordability is Access Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 27, 2022Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
