Governor Brown Signs 2 Bills Ensuring California Women Get Maternity Coverage

SACRAMENTO (AP)  — Women in California are now guaranteed maternity care under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown said the bills ensure that mothers who decide to take maternity leave will no longer have to worry about losing their medical coverage. His office announced the bill signings Thursday.

SB222 by state Sen. Noreen Evans, a Democrat from Santa Rosa, requires health insurance companies to provide maternity coverage as part of their individual insurance plans.

AB210 by Democratic Assemblyman Roger Hernandez of Baldwin Park requires group health insurance policies to provide women with maternity coverage.

Many insurers exclude maternity services, which include post-childbirth care, in their basic plans. More than 200,000 women of childbearing age in California have health insurance plans that do not cover maternity care.

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