EEOC Rules Medical Plan Must Cover Contraceptives

An EEOC ruling released December 13 holds that an employer medical plan that excludes contraceptives violates the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The ruling came in a complaint by two employees against an unidentified employer. The Commission ruled that exclusion of prescription contraceptives for birth control discriminated on the basis of a woman's ability to become pregnant when the plan covered other preventive measures like immunizations and blood pressure medicine. It also noted that because contraceptives may be prescribed for women to alleviate other medical conditions, a plan that covers prescription drugs generally but excludes contraceptives discriminates against women on the basis of gender.