A Democratic bill with 41 Democratic cosponsors · See all 41 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Workforce, 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.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The bill is known as the Affordability is Access Act of 2026. It requires group health plans and group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives. The purpose of the bill is to ensure timely access to affordable birth control without cost-sharing. It applies to contraceptives approved, granted, cleared, or legally marketed by the Food and Drug Administration for use without a prescription. The legislation also clarifies coverage requirements for prescription and over-the-counter contraceptives. Additionally, it places duties on retailers regarding access to over-the-counter contraception.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +8
Would women be better off under this?
Women benefit directly from expanded access to affordable, over-the-counter birth control options without cost-sharing or prescription prerequisites.
- Scored +7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Low-income households benefit significantly by saving money on over-the-counter contraceptives that are now mandated to be fully covered by health insurance without cost-sharing.
- Scored +7
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
This legislation significantly improves general healthcare access by ensuring that over-the-counter contraceptives are covered by health insurance without requiring a doctor's prescription.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2 and Section 5(1): These sections require health plans and health insurance coverage to provide coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives without cost-sharing and without requiring a prescription. This could benefit individuals by making birth control more affordable and easier to obtain without needing to visit a doctor first for a prescription.
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Section 5(2): This provision clarifies that coverage requirements include all prescription contraceptives approved, granted, or cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. This ensures that individuals have continued access to covered prescription birth control options under their health insurance.
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Section 7(a): This section states that any retailer stocking Food and Drug Administration-approved over-the-counter contraception cannot interfere with an individual's access to, or purchase of, the contraception. It also protects access to medically accurate, comprehensive information about the contraception.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Section 5(2): For prescription drug contraceptives that have at least one therapeutic equivalent, health insurance coverage is only required for one such contraceptive among the therapeutically equivalent options. This could limit an individual's choice if their preferred specific brand or product is not the one chosen by the insurance plan for coverage.
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Section 7(b): This section specifies that retailers are not prohibited from refusing to provide an over-the-counter contraceptive product to an individual if the individual is unable to pay for it directly, through insurance, or through another payment mechanism. This means individuals without a way to pay will still be unable to obtain the product from the retailer.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would women be better off under this? — Women benefit directly from expanded access to affordable, over-the-counter birth control options without cost-sharing or prescription prerequisites. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Low-income households benefit significantly by saving money on over-the-counter contraceptives that are now mandated to be fully covered by health insurance without cost-sharing. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Young adults of reproductive age benefit directly from increased affordability and easier access to birth control products. Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Black Americans, who face disproportionate healthcare barriers, benefit from policies designed to expand equitable access to reproductive care. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Hispanic Americans benefit from provisions that expand insurance coverage and reduce financial hurdles for essential reproductive health products. Would LGBTQ people be better off under this? — Trans men and nonbinary individuals who use reproductive healthcare are explicitly included and benefit from the expanded coverage requirements. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Middle-aged individuals within the reproductive age range benefit from the elimination of cost-sharing and prescription requirements for contraceptives. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Middle-class households experience financial relief through guaranteed health insurance coverage for birth control without cost-sharing. Would students be better off under this? — Students, who often face tight budgets, benefit from having over-the-counter contraceptives covered fully by insurance without out-of-pocket costs.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — This legislation significantly improves general healthcare access by ensuring that over-the-counter contraceptives are covered by health insurance without requiring a doctor's prescription. Does this strengthen the Affordable Care Act? — This act strengthens the Affordable Care Act's preventive services framework by explicitly requiring health plans to cover over-the-counter contraceptives without cost-sharing.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated? — This bill promotes gender equality by eliminating cost and prescription barriers for reproductive health products predominantly used by women and other individuals.
- 10/29/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/6/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/28/2026
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- 9/24/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Workforce, 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.
- 34 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Julia BrownleyDemocrat · California
Ami BeraDemocrat · California
Nanette BarragánDemocrat · California
Shontel BrownDemocrat · Ohio
Yvette ClarkeDemocrat · New York
Judy ChuDemocrat · California
Salud CarbajalDemocrat · California
Sean CastenDemocrat · Illinois
Gilbert CisnerosDemocrat · California
Troy CarterDemocrat · Louisiana
Jasmine CrockettDemocrat · Texas
Herbert ConawayDemocrat · New Jersey
Rosa DeLauroDemocrat · Connecticut
Lois FrankelDemocrat · Florida
Laura FriedmanDemocrat · California
Jimmy GomezDemocrat · California
Jesús GarcíaDemocrat · Illinois
Daniel GoldmanDemocrat · New York
Henry JohnsonDemocrat · Georgia
Zoe LofgrenDemocrat · California
Summer LeeDemocrat · Pennsylvania
James McGovernDemocrat · Massachusetts
Grace MengDemocrat · New York
Kevin MullinDemocrat · California
Jennifer McClellanDemocrat · Virginia
LaMonica McIverDemocrat · New Jersey
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezDemocrat · New York
Chellie PingreeDemocrat · Maine
Mike QuigleyDemocrat · Illinois
Emily RandallDemocrat · Washington
Mary Gay ScanlonDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Melanie StansburyDemocrat · New Mexico
Mark TakanoDemocrat · California
Rashida TlaibDemocrat · Michigan
Ritchie TorresDemocrat · New York
Jill TokudaDemocrat · Hawaii
Lauren UnderwoodDemocrat · Illinois
Nikema WilliamsDemocrat · Georgia
Frederica WilsonDemocrat · Florida
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey