After a long struggle, New York’s Women’s Health and Wellness Act is passed by both Houses and signed into law. Many more insurance policies must now cover vital reproductive health services, including prescriptive contraceptives, osteoporosis exams and breast and cervical cancer screenings. Catholic Charities announces a lawsuit to seek to deny employees insurance coverage for contraceptives.

FPA’s MergerWatch program conducts a study on the public funding of religious hospitals. The study finds that sectarian hospitals bill the federal government more than $40 billion a year, while using religious restrictions to limit the services they provide to the public.

FPA also intensifies its research on the provision of emergency contraception (EC) to rape victims in emergency departments. A Zogby International poll finds that 89 percent of voters believe that EC should be available to survivors of sexual assault. Yet many New York hospitals do not offer rape victims EC on-site. The Assembly again passes Emergency Contraception for Rape Victims legislation, but the Senate refuses to vote on the bill.

Funding is secured for family planning centers through a $2.1 million legislative budget addition, $500,000 from state funds and $1.6 million from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. FPA works to ensure that family planning providers are included in the final health care wage supplement bill, which provides increases in Medicaid rates. The federal Family Planning Benefit Program (FPBP) waiver enabling New Yorkers with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level to access family planning services is approved and becomes effective October 1.