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The Biden Administration is ramping up crucial policies ahead of this year’s Election Day. On Monday (Oct. 21), the White House announced a proposed plan that would require health insurance to fully pay for over-the-counter birth control. That includes preventative methods like condoms, the ‘morning after’ pill, and birth control pills, per The Associated Press.
The proposed rule would not impact those on Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. States are largely left to design their own rules around Medicaid coverage for contraception, and few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.
Right now, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription birth control or even condoms that doctors have issued a prescription for. But the new rule would expand that coverage. If the proposal is implemented, people with health insurance would be able to buy condoms, birth control pills, or ‘morning after’ pills from storefronts for free without a prescription.
For example, the emergency contraceptives that people on private insurance would be able to get for free include levonorgestrel. Without a doctor’s prescription, women may pay as much as $50 for a single dose of the morning-after pill. And women who delay buying the medication in order to get a doctor’s prescription might jeopardize the pill’s effectiveness. In order to prevent pregnancy, levonorgestrel needs to be taken within 72 hours after sexual intercourse.
“The proposed rule we announce today would expand access to birth control at no additional cost for 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.”
If implemented, the new rule would also require health insurance companies to fully pay for the once-a-day Opill. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter birth control pill last year. A one-month supply of the 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 ACArequires plans to cover the cost of FDA-approved birth control that a doctor has 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 comes days before Election Day. As the polls quickly approach, Vice President Kamala Harris has centered her presidential campaign on a promise of expanding women’s healthcare access. Harris has sought to distinguish herself from Donald Trump. The GOP presidential nominee is who appointed some of the judges who agreed to undo nationwide abortion rights in 2022.
Associated Press reporter Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
