New Hampshire's Executive Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a contract to study ways to expand women's access to health services, two months after councilors initially rejected it.
The reversal follows weeks of lobbying from women’s health advocates and the two councilors who initially approved the contract: Republican Janet Stevens and Democrat Karen Liot Hill.
The goal of the study is to make sure women with private health insurance get coverage for the services they need, and that are required by federal and state laws, and to identify any gaps in coverage, particularly when it comes to postpartum care.
The council on Wednesday also approved a second contract to give state regulators that oversee insurance companies tools to help make sure those companies are actually covering women’s health services required by the Affordable Care Act. That includes breastfeeding support and counseling, as well as screenings for gestational diabetes, maternal depression, and domestic and interpersonal violence.
“It’s important that our health commissioner hold our health care insurance carriers accountable for meeting certain… aspects of the Affordable Care Act,” said Stevens.
Republican Councilor Joe Kenney said while he supports the goals of the study, he initially voted against it because he wanted to make sure costs wouldn’t increase for small businesses and individuals as a result.
“They’re going to make recommendations,” Kenney said. “We just want to make sure those recommendations are fine, but they don’t drive up the health insurance premiums.”
After the initial vote in May, Kenney said he and the two other Republican councilors who initially voted against the contract requested changing its terms to find ways to increase access, while guaranteeing health care premiums remain flat.
Advocates for women’s health attributed the council’s reversal to public pressure.
The New Hampshire Women’s Foundation celebrated the passing of this new contract, thanking people for calling their councilors to reconsider their votes. They noted that 11 maternity wards in the state have closed and that they affect women in rural areas the most.
“Women’s health is not a partisan issue, but it is clear that women’s leadership is needed to ensure comprehensive and affordable women’s health care,” the foundation said in a statement on its Facebook page. “We know that regardless of party, women in elected office are more likely to vote for efforts that support women and girls, and this was made abundantly clear in the Executive Council’s vote.”
Stevens estimates roughly 200 people reached out to her since May with their concerns about the contract being rejected. One that stood out to her the most was a mother who had a C-section and told Stevens that after the procedure, she did not have enough support. As a mother of two, Stevens said she understood.
“I know exactly what she means,” Stevens said. “For all women, we can do better.”
The contractors have until September 2026 to complete their work.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified the party affiliation of Councilor Janet Stevens.
