Report: states offer greater access to EC pills, less to abortion; reproductive health services.(Practice Trends)

WASHINGTON -- Access to reproductive health services is being both expanded and contracted, health advocates said at a women's health policy briefing sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Access to emergency contraception is improving, as is insurance coverage for contraceptives and state involvement in prevention of and screening for HIV, said Judy Waxman, vice president for health and reproductive rights at the National Women's Law Center.

But at the same time, many states are restricting access to abortion and several states have enacted "refusal clauses" that allow providers and health plans to opt out of offering certain women's health services, she said.

These state health policies are outlined by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Women's Law Center in a new report, "Women's Access to Care: A State-Level Analysis of Key Health Policies."

States influence women's access to health services through mandates that impact about half of employer-sponsored health plans and through their administration of the Medicaid program.

In the area of abortion, 36 states have enacted "provider regulations" that may impose certain requirements on abortion providers, such as record keeping and ...