# 119-s-5539: Affordability is Access Act of 2026

119-s-5539, Affordability is Access Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5539
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5539
- Congress: 119
- Title: Affordability is Access Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 32
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-11

## Summary

**Requires group and individual health plans to cover FDA-approved, over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives without cost-sharing.** It also clarifies coverage rules for prescription contraceptives and sets basic duties for retailers to avoid blocking access or accurate information. - Families and people who use birth control can obtain FDA-approved OTC contraceptives with no out-of-pocket costs when those products are covered by group or individual plans. - People who rely on prescription contraceptives keep insurance coverage, but for any prescription drug with at least one therapeutically equivalent product insurers may need to cover only one such product. - Retailers that stock FDA-approved OTC contraceptives cannot interfere with a person's access to those products or to medically accurate information, though they may refuse a sale if a buyer cannot pay. - The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury are directed to clarify that existing coverage rules include FDA-approved OTC contraceptives so insurers and plans can apply the rules consistently. *This text of the Act does not establish new funding or explicit enforcement mechanisms.*

## Cosponsors (32)

- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Keeps FDA authority and state protections: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would not change how the Food and Drug Administration reviews or approves nonprescription drugs. It would also not override any federal or state law that provides stronger consumer protections than this bill.
- Health plans: OTC coverage, limited prescription choices: mixed, medium. If enacted, group and individual health plans subject to the statute would have to cover FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives even without a prescription. The bill would also require no cost-sharing when enrollees get FDA-authorized OTC contraceptives. For prescription contraceptives,…
- Retailers can't block sales but can refuse unpaid: mixed, low. If enacted, a retailer that stocks FDA-approved OTC contraceptives would not be allowed to interfere with a person's ability to buy them or to get medically accurate information about them. The bill would still allow a retailer to refuse to provide an OTC contraceptive if the person cannot pay by c…

## Related bills

- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025
- 119-s-1115: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5539 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5539)

## Related
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2523)
- [119-s-1115: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1115)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5539 (as of 2026-10-11).