The Biden administration is ramping up crucial policies ahead of Election Day this year. On Monday (10/21), the White House announced a proposed plan that would require health insurance to fully pay for over-the-counter birth control. This includes preventive methods like condoms, the morning-after pill and birth control pills, according to the Associated Press.
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The proposed rule would have no impact on Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. States are largely left to create their own rules around Medicaid coverage for contraception, and few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.
Free birth control? White House says yes
Right now, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription birth control methods or even condoms prescribed by doctors. But the new rule would expand this coverage. If the proposal is implemented, people with health insurance will be able to buy condoms, birth control pills or morning-after pills in stores for free without a prescription.
For example, emergency contraceptives that people with private insurance could get for free include levonorgestrel. Without a prescription, women can pay up to $50 for a single dose of the morning-after pill. And women who delay purchasing the medication to obtain a prescription may compromise the pill’s effectiveness. To prevent pregnancy, levonorgestrel must be taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse.
“The proposed rule we announced today would expand access to birth control at no additional cost to millions of consumers,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Bottom line: women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and providers have an obligation to comply with the law.”
What else to know about the plan?
If implemented, the new rule would also require health insurance companies to pay in full for once-daily Opill. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter birth control pill last year. A month’s supply of pills costs $20.
For context, the Affordable Care Act was the first introduction to federal mandates for private health insurance to cover contraceptive care. The ACA requires plans to cover the cost of FDA-approved birth control that a doctor prescribed for preventative reasons. America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying group for private health insurers, said Monday it was reviewing the proposal.
As mentioned, the proposal arrives days before election day. As the polls quickly approach, Vice President Kamala Harris has centered her presidential campaign on a promise to expand access to women’s health care. Harris sought to distinguish herself from Donald Trump. The Republican Party’s presidential candidate is the one who nominated some of the judges who agreed to undo the right to abortion nationwide in 2022.
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Associated Press reporter Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
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