Bill > S3321

Introduced Session

This bill would require the Department of Human Services to implement payment strategies to encourage the use of long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). The payment strategy is required to include, but not be limited to, the following initiatives: (1) provide timely, patient-centered comprehensive coverage for the provision of LARCs for women; (2) reimburse for immediate postpartum insertion of LARCs separate from other labor and delivery services; (3) remove logistical barriers for supply management of LARC devices; and (4) remove administrative barriers for provision of LARC devices. Furthermore, the bill would require the department to ensure that the managed care organizations which provide health insurance coverage for a vast majority of Medicaid clients also implement these strategies. Nationally, the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services launched the Maternal and Infant Health Initiative in July 2014 to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. One goal of the initiative was to increase access and use of effective methods of contraception. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified LARCs as among the most effective family planning methods, with pregnancy rates of fewer than 1 pregnancy per 100 women in the first year. Yet, the use of LARCs in the United States is relatively low when compared to other countries. Two reasons cited for the low utilization of LARCs in the United States are administrative and reimbursement barriers that result in high upfront costs for devices, and payment policies that reduce (or do not provide) reimbursement for devices or placement. This bill is intended to motivate the department to adopt policies to increase access and availability of LARCs to State Medicaid clients.

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Shirley Turner (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 02/05/2026)

Official Document