PHOENIX (AP) — Women in Arizona trying to get reimbursed for birth control drugs through their employer-provided health plan could be required to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy.
A bill nearing passage in the Republican-led Legislature allows all employers, not just religious institutions, to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage when doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs.
Birth control pills can be used to treat a number of medical conditions. When a female worker uses them, the bill would allow an employer who opted out to require her to reveal what she was taking it for in order to get reimbursed.
The bill thrusts the state into a raging national debate about religious freedom and birth control.
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