Contraceptive coverage

The Bush administration's proposal to end a requirement that health insurers offer birth control coverage to federal employees probably won't make much difference, federal officials say.

Bush's 2002 budget proposes scrapping a law that requires insurers to cover a broad range of contraceptives

But an Office of Personnel Management official says that since covering contraceptives has little effect on insurers' bottom lines, most providers will likely continue to offer them to stay competitive.

A provision of the 1998 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill required all federal employee health plans to pay for five types of birth control approved by the Food and Drug Administration, including the pill, Norplant, Depo-Provera, the intrauterine device (IUD), and the diaphragm. Before 1998, most providers covered only one form of birth control.