Majority of Americans support mandated contraception coverage

A large majority of Americans--69 percent--believes insurers should have to include contraception coverage in all health plans, according to a nationwide survey of 2,000 people published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers with the University of Michigan found female, black and Hispanic respondents were more likely to approve of mandated birth control coverage. Education and income didn't affect whether respondents supported insurers covering contraception methods.

Almost 80 percent of female respondents supported mandated birth control, compared to 64 percent of men. And more blacks and Hispanics approved of contraception coverage (81 percent and 76 percent, respectively) than whites (67 percent), the survey found.

Such support comes as the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether corporations should get religious exemptions from providing contraception coverage. The JAMA-published survey also follows a similar poll showing a slight majority of people believes companies should have to cover costs of birth control and other contraceptive methods, FierceHealthPayer previously reported.

Despite showing widespread support for birth control coverage, respondents actually favored other benefits more. For example, 85 percent of survey respondents said they supported mandated coverage for mammograms and colonoscopies, 84 percent believed health plans should cover recommended vaccinations and 82 percent supported coverage of diabetes and cholesterol preventive screenings.

Plus, 77 percent of respondents said insurers should cover mental health while 75 percent said dental care should be mandated for all health plans.

To learn more:
- here's the survey