2
• With respect to women, evidence-informed preventive care and screening provided for in
comprehensive guidelines supported by HRSA, to the extent not included in certain
recommendations of the USPSTF.
3
If a recommendation or guideline does not specify the frequency, method, treatment, or setting
for the provision of a recommended preventive service, then the plan or issuer may use
reasonable medical management techniques to determine any such coverage limitations.
4
Coverage of Colonoscopies Pursuant to USPSTF Recommendations
Q1: If a colonoscopy is scheduled and performed as a screening procedure pursuant to the
USPSTF recommendation, can a plan or issuer impose cost sharing for the bowel
preparation medications prescribed for the procedure?
No. Consistent with a previous FAQ,
5
the required preparation for a preventive screening
colonoscopy is an integral part of the procedure. Bowel preparation medications, when medically
appropriate and prescribed by a health care provider, are an integral part of the preventive
screening colonoscopy, and therefore, are required to be covered in accordance with the
requirements of PHS Act section 2713 and its implementing regulations (that is, without cost
sharing, subject to reasonable medical management).
Coverage of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Contraceptives
The HRSA Guidelines include a recommendation for all FDA-approved contraceptive methods,
sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive
capacity, as prescribed by a health care provider. On February 20, 2013, the Departments issued
an FAQ stating that the HRSA Guidelines ensure women's access to the full range of FDA-
approved contraceptive methods including, but not limited to, barrier methods, hormonal
methods, and implanted devices, as well as patient education and counseling, as prescribed by a
health care provider. The FAQ further clarified that plans and issuers may use reasonable
medical management techniques to control costs and promote efficient delivery of care, such as
covering a generic drug without cost sharing and imposing cost sharing for equivalent branded
drugs. However, in these instances, the FAQ stated that a plan or issuer must accommodate any
3
“Women’s Preventive Services: Required Health Plan Coverage Guidelines” (HRSA Guidelines) were adopted and
released on August 1, 2011, based on recommendations developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Women’s
preventive services recommended therein are required to be covered without cost sharing for plan years (or, in the
individual market, policy years) beginning on or after August 1, 2012. Under the HRSA Guidelines, group health
plans established or maintained by religious employers (and group health insurance coverage provided in connection
with such plans) are exempt from the requirement to cover contraceptive services under section 2713 of the PHS
Act, as incorporated into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code (the Code).
45 CFR 147.131(a). Additionally, accommodations for religious objections to contraception are available to group
health plans established or maintained by certain eligible organizations (and group health insurance coverage
provided in connection with such plans), as well as student health insurance coverage arranged by eligible
organizations, with respect to the contraceptive coverage requirement.
4
See 26 CFR 54.9815-2713(a)(4), 29 CFR 2590.715-2713(a)(4), 45 CFR 147.130(a)(4).
5
See FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation and Mental Health Parity Implementation (Part XXIX), Q7,
available at www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-aca29.html and www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-
FAQs/Downloads/FAQs-Part-XXIX.pdf.