Obamacare: Insurers must cover birth control with no copays

From the Boston Globe:

Women covered by private insurance will soon be able to fill their birth control prescriptions at no cost, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday. Starting in August 2012, insurers will be required to cover the full cost of contraception and family planning, along with seven other services aimed at preventing disease and promoting well-being in women...

A panel of doctors with the Institute of Medicine - the advisory group that the Obama administration asked to review the matter - last month recommended improvements to women’s coverage, and the federal health department said yesterday it had accepted that advice...

Premiums are expected to rise with the new offerings, but federal health officials said they haven’t calculated how much.

Eric Linzer, spokesman for the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said his group is concerned about the financial impact.

“Despite the value, there’s always a cost associated with mandating specific services,’’ he said...