I love being able to write good news.

Earlier this week, we celebrated a tremendous victory when the Department of Health and Human Services announced that all private insurance plans will be required to cover contraceptives and a range of other important reproductive health services without co-pays, beginning August 1, 2012.

In July, the Institute of Medicine, (IOM), a nonpartisan organization, issued the recommendations that 8 health services–birth control, Plan B, breastfeeding support, HIV screening, HPV and STI testing, annual exams, domestic violence screening, and screening for gestational diabetes should be fully covered without co-pay. This Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services approved those guidelines and will now require all new insurance plans to fully cover these services under the Affordable Care Act.

We know that millions of women struggle to afford and have access to birth control. The reality is that 99 percent of women have used birth control at some point in their lives, though many women cannot afford to use birth control regularly. With 38 percent of pregnancies in this country unintended, this is a tremendous step in the right direction towards preventive health services. This recent decision could not have been possible without the strong support of HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius and the voices of advocates like you.

However, the Obama Administration issued an amendment to this requirement which would effectively exempt the insurance companies of religious institutions from covering birth control without co-pays. Exempting religious employers from following these regulations will allow many women to continue struggling to afford birth control and have access to basic preventive health care.

While I am very excited that birth control pills, voluntary sterilization, and other preventive family planning services will be fully covered under private insurance plans, this is just the first step forward of many that policymakers will need to take in order for women to fully control their reproductive rights. Still, millions of women remain uninsured. Many women do not have regular personal transportation to a health care provider or pharmacy and many may not know their full range of birth control options. We hope that this decision will set an important precedent for women’s health care in the future.

Ecstatic about this giant leap forward? Want birth control and reproductive health services to be available to employees of religious institutions? Think birth control should be available to all women?

For the next 60 days, the Department of Health and Human Services is accepting public comments on the ruling. Please take a moment to show your support by thanking Kathleen Sebelius and applauding these new regulations. You may also express your disapproval of any provision that would exempt religious institutions from following the new regulations.

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