New Hampshire’s Executive Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a contract to study ways to expand women’s access to health services, two months after the three Republican councilors initially rejected it.<\/p>\n
The reversal follows weeks of lobbying from women\u2019s health advocates and the two Democrats on the five-member council.<\/p>\n
The goal of the study is to make sure women with private health insurance get coverage for the services they need, and that are required by federal and state laws, and to identify any gaps in coverage, particularly when it comes to postpartum care<\/a>.<\/p>\n The council on Wednesday also approved a second contract to give state regulators that oversee insurance companies tools to help make sure those companies are actually covering women\u2019s health services required by the Affordable Care Act. That includes breastfeeding support and counseling, as well as screenings for gestational diabetes, maternal depression, and domestic and interpersonal violence.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that our health commissioner hold our health care insurance carriers accountable for meeting certain\u2026 aspects of the Affordable Care Act,\u201d said Janet Stevens, a Democratic member of the Executive Council.<\/p>\n Republican Councilor Joe Kenney said while he supports the goals of the study, he initially voted against it because he wanted to make sure costs wouldn\u2019t increase for small businesses and individuals as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to make recommendations,\u201d Kenney said. \u201cWe just want to make sure those recommendations are fine, but they don\u2019t drive up the health insurance premiums.\u201d<\/p>\n After the initial vote in May, Kenney said he and the two other Republican councilors requested changing the terms of the contract to find ways to increase access, while guaranteeing health care premiums remain flat.<\/p>\n Advocates for women\u2019s health attributed the council\u2019s decision to public pressure.<\/p>\n