A report from the House Oversight Committee found that the nation's five largest insurers, and 4 out of 5 of the largest pharmaceutical benefit managers, routinely require cost-sharing for certain contraceptives or exclude them from coverage altogether.
The ACA requires payers to cover at least one type of contraceptive from all approved categories at no cost to members.
According to the report, published Oct. 25, there are at least 34 contraceptives which the majority of the companies investigated reported excluding from coverage, and 17 products were excluded by all of the payers investigated.
Newer contraceptive methods were more likely to be excluded from coverage. Many of these products are used by populations with specific health needs, or disproportionately used by lower-income patients, according to the report.
The investigation found at least 40 percent of requests for plans to cover contraceptives not included in payers' formularies were rejected.
Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney told Politico the White House should update guidance on contraceptive coverage to address the issues uncovered in the report.
Read the full investigation here.