PRINTER'S NO. 1926
No. 105 Session of 1993
INTRODUCED BY STURLA, RICHARDSON, RITTER, DeWEESE, HARLEY,
MELIO, MIHALICH, TRELLO, ROONEY, RUBLEY, STETLER, LAUB,
L. I. COHEN, LEVDANSKY, MUNDY, HECKLER, JOSEPHS, STEELMAN,
CURRY AND PISTELLA, MAY 26, 1993
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, MAY 26, 1993
A RESOLUTION
1 Providing for the House Health and Welfare Committee to
2 undertake a comprehensive investigation and analysis of the
3 availability and accessibility of the Norplant contraceptive
4 for low-income women.
5 WHEREAS, The Norplant subdermal implant system, a
6 contraceptive delivery device consisting of six silastic
7 progestin-releasing capsules inserted under a patient's skin,
8 was developed in 1974 by the International Committee for
9 Contraceptive Research of the Population Council in Finland; and
10 WHEREAS, In December, 1990, Norplant was approved for
11 distribution in the United States by the Federal Food and Drug
12 Administration; and
13 WHEREAS, This device is available to clinicians only through
14 a sole distributor; and
15 WHEREAS, All 50 states have approved coverage of Norplant for
16 women who receive medical assistance or Medicaid and, according
17 to pharmaceutical industry data, 35 of the Nation's largest
18 health maintenance organizations (HMOs) provide insurance
1 coverage for the procedure; and
2 WHEREAS, Although Norplant has become widely available as
3 well as more acceptable to an increasing number of American
4 women of reproductive age, many low-income women who are not
5 eligible for Medicaid and who do not have health insurance
6 coverage for the procedure cannot afford the nearly $600 up-
7 front cost of Norplant; and
8 WHEREAS, Most contraceptives are provided to public health
9 clinics at a nominal price, but the sole distributor of Norplant
10 has declined to make it available at a reduced cost to family
11 planning or other clinics that serve low-income women; and
12 WHEREAS, The demand for Norplant at public health clinics has
13 outpaced the supply available for low-income women nationwide;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, Public health clinics cannot support the cost of
16 Norplant for all low-income women who request the procedure; and
17 WHEREAS, The American Medical Association (AMA) recently
18 passed a resolution supporting the goal of making Norplant
19 available to all women wishing to use it and encouraging the
20 pharmaceutical industry to reduce the overall price to public
21 health clinics; and
22 WHEREAS, Public health professionals serving low-income
23 clients maintain that the availability of Norplant may offer
24 cost benefits in reduced numbers of unintended and uninsured
25 pregnancies among poor women; therefore be it
26 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the House
27 Health and Welfare Committee to make a thorough and complete
28 investigation and analysis of the availability and acceptability
29 of Norplant; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the committee shall investigate the cost and
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1 feasibility of providing financial assistance to public health
2 and other family planning providers that serve low-income women
3 specifically for the acquisition of Norplant kits and to cover
4 the costs of insertion and removal of the device; and be it
5 further
6 RESOLVED, That the committee shall make recommendations to
7 the House of Representatives as to legislation, if appropriate,
8 which may be proposed to increase the availability of Norplant
9 to low-income women in a manner that is neither explicitly or
10 subtly coercive; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the committee shall hold hearings, take
12 testimony and make investigations at places it deems necessary
13 and appropriate in this Commonwealth; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That each member shall have the power to administer
15 oaths and affirmations to witnesses appearing before the
16 committee; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the expenses incurred by the committee shall
18 be paid out of funds appropriated to the Chief Clerk of the
19 House of Representatives for the purpose of holding hearings,
20 compensating for travel, paying expert witnesses and compiling a
21 final report; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That the committee shall make a final report based
23 on its investigations, findings, and recommendations to the
24 House of Representatives no later than one year after passage of
25 this resolution.
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