Harkin: We Will Not Give Up the Fight to Ensure Access to Health Care Services

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today after Senate Republicans obstructed consideration of theProtect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act, also known as the Not My Boss’s Business Act. Harkin is an original sponsor of the bill, which would restore the contraceptive coverage requirement guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act and protect coverage of other health services from employers who want to impose their beliefs on their employees by denying benefits.

“The Affordable Care Act was crafted to empower Americans to make health care decisions that are best for them and their families through access to preventive care services, including birth control, with no-cost sharing. The Supreme Court’s wrongheaded ruling in Hobby Lobby jeopardizes this essential coverage for hundreds of thousands of Americans and opens to the door to further employer interference regarding coverage of health services used by men, women, children, and seniors alike, such as vaccines or blood transfusions. By obstructing the Not my Boss’s Business Act, Senate Republicans have shown that they have no qualms about blocking access to critical health care services for every day, working people in Iowa and across the country.‎

“The bottom line is all Americans, men and women alike, should be able to make decisions about their medical care in consultation with their doctor, not their boss. The Supreme Court may have ruled, but this fight is far from over. Along with my colleagues in Congress, I am deeply committed to ensuring that Americans can access the health services guaranteed to them under the law.”

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