On January 27, 2020, the DC Council Committee on Health held a hearing on the “Pregnancy as a Qualifying Event Act of 2019.” This unique piece of legislation would make DC the first state or jurisdiction in the country to require any health insurer that allows for special enrollment periods to include pregnancy as an event that triggers a special enrollment period. This is significant because usually insurers treat the birth of a baby as the qualifying event that triggers a special enrollment period, but not pregnancy itself.

On December 19, 2019, the DC Council Committee on Government Operations held a hearing on the “Strengthening Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act of 2019” (SRHPAA). This legislation protects DC residents’ ability to access reproductive health care without government interference and ensure that employers can’t discriminate against health care professionals that support or provide abortion care.