Birth control is free on New York-regulated plans, up to a year at once

If your health plan is regulated by New York, it generally has to cover at least one version of every FDA-approved contraceptive method with no copay, coinsurance, or deductible. If the covered version is unavailable or medically inadvisable, the plan must cover an alternative equivalent at no cost. The law also covers over-the-counter and emergency contraception when lawfully provided, voluntary sterilization, counseling, and follow-up care. Plans must let you fill a 12-month supply at one time and cannot use prior authorization, step therapy, or quantity limits to delay covered contraception.

You do not have to apply. The rules began Jan. 1, 2020, for policies issued, amended, renewed, effective, or delivered on or after that date, including grandfathered plans. Qualifying religious employers may request plans without contraceptive coverage; their workers can buy a separate rider. The state rules do not apply to self-funded employer plans, out-of-state coverage, or Medicare.

Assemblymember Kevin Cahill carried versions of the bill from 2015 onward after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office developed and proposed it. The Assembly first passed it in January 2016. Sen. Julia Salazar sponsored the Senate bill that reached final passage in 2019. Both chambers passed it on Jan. 22, 2019—the Senate 51–11 and the Assembly 100–39—and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it that April. In 2020, Attorney General Letitia James ordered three insurers that had refused 12-month supplies to provide them.