House passes bill to require insurers to cover contraception.

The New Mexico House of Representatives on Monday passed a bill that would require insurance companies to provide coverage for contraceptives for men and women.

The 40-24 vote did not fall neatly along party lines, with three Democrats voting against the proposal and one Republican voting for it.

Sponsor Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, said House Bill 89, which now goes to the Senate, would offer both sexes “a full range of contraceptive options covered by insurance companies without any out-of-pocket expenses.”

Though contraceptive benefits have been available for women since 2012 under the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration has pushed to develop new guidelines that would allow employers to opt out of the mandate if they have religious or moral objections. Earlier this month, a federal judge granted a request by more than a dozen states to temporarily stop the Trump administration from allowing employers to sidestep the law through those exemptions.

Armstrong said her bill — which includes a provision for religious exemptions — will ensure that insured New Mexicans have free access to Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptives should the Trump administration eventually win out on the issue.

Armstrong and other House Democrats depicted the bill as a health care measure, saying it will prevent unwanted pregnancies and thus abortions that could endanger lives. She said it also could help decrease the state’s teen birth rate.

Among other concerns, some Republican legislators questioned whether the bill would allow minors to undergo surgeries, such as vasectomies, without parental approval. Armstrong said she did not think that would happen.

Republicans also said the measure could increase insurance costs for companies and their employers. The GOP legislators also wanted a clearer description of what a religious exemption means and warned that the bill could open the state up to lawsuits from businesses forced to include contraceptives in their insurance offerings.

Asked by one lawmaker if insurance companies are supportive of the bill, Armstrong said many “see the value of providing the coverage” and are on board.