The Biden administration is ramping up key policies ahead of Election Day this year. On Monday (October 21), The White House announced one proposed plan would require health insurance to fully pay for over-the-counter contraceptives. That includes prevention methods like condoms, ‘morning after’ pills and birth control pills, according to The Associated Press.
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The proposed rule would not affect regulations for Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. States are largely allowed to design their own rules around Medicaid coverage of contraceptives, and a few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.
Free birth control? The White House said yes
Currently, health insurance companies must cover the cost of prescribed contraceptives, including prescription birth control or even condoms that a doctor has prescribed. But the new regulations will expand that scope. If the proposals go ahead, people with health insurance will be able to buy condoms, birth control pills or ‘morning after’ pills for free from shops without the need for a prescription.
For example, emergency contraception that people with private insurance can get for free includes levonorgestrel. Without a doctor’s prescription, women can pay up to $50 for a dose of the morning-after pill. And women who delay getting their medication to get a doctor’s prescription may jeopardize the drug’s effectiveness. To prevent pregnancy, levonorgestrel should be taken within 72 hours after sexual intercourse.
“The proposed rule we are announcing today would expand access to contraceptives at no additional cost to women,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. millions of consumers”. “Bottom line: women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and suppliers have an obligation to comply with the law.”
What else should you know about this plan?
If implemented, the new regulation would also require health insurers to pay Opill in full once a day. The US Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter birth control pills last year. A month’s supply of the drug costs $20.
For context, the Affordable Care Act was the first introduction of federal regulations for private health insurance to cover contraceptive care. The ACA requires plans to cover the cost of FDA-approved birth control that a doctor has prescribed for preventive reasons. America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying group for private health insurers, said Monday that it is reviewing the proposal.
As mentioned, this proposal was introduced a few days before Election Day. As the polls quickly approach, Vice President Kamala Harris has focused her presidential campaign on a promise to expand women’s access to health care. Harris has sought to distinguish herself from Donald Trump. The Republican presidential candidate is the one who made the appointment some judges who agreed to abolish abortion rights nationwide by 2022.
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Associated Press reporter Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
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