Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Access to LARCs Act”.
Access to LARCs Act
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study and submit to Congress a report on contraceptive access at community health centers in health care deserts.
Sec. 2 Study and report on access to range of contraceptive methods at community health centers
Study— The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall conduct a study on the access of women in need to a range of contraceptive methods at community health centers located in health care deserts. Such study shall—
include analysis related to reimbursement, inventory stocking, provider training, patient education, and other barriers to community health centers providing a range of contraceptive methods; and
indicate which community health centers are recipients of funding under title X of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300 et seq.).
Report— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the results of the study under subsection (a).
Definitions— In this section:
Community health center— The term community health center means a health center (as defined in section 330(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(a))).
Contraceptive method— The term contraceptive method means—
a drug or device (as such terms are defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321)), or combination product, approved for use under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321 et seq.) as a method of contraception, except when such drug, device, or combination product is used on- or off-label as an emergency contraceptive;
sexual risk avoidance education; and
natural family planning or other fertility-based methods of family planning.
Health care desert— The term health care desert means a State or political subdivision thereof with less than 1 community health center for every 1,000 women in need.
Range of contraceptive methods— The term range of contraceptive methods means 2 or more contraceptive methods.
Women in need— The term women in need means women eligible for benefits under a Federal health care program (as defined in section 1128B(f) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–7b(f))).