OTC BIRTH CONTROL UPDATE

Expanding access to affordable coverage for eligible, uninsured populations would improve the quality of contraceptive care that patients receive,” the senators wrote.įor the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. “Over 19 million women live in counties with limited access to health care providers that offer comprehensive contraceptive services, and about one-third of women who have received prescription contraceptives have reported barriers to access. Wade and ended the constitutional right to an abortion, the movement took on more urgency.

The push to make birth control available OTC has been happening for years, but after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. “The FDA’s approval of Opill is a milestone however, for an OTC birth control pill to meet its potential and be truly accessible, federal departments must ensure that it is covered without cost-sharing and without the need for a prescription as a condition of coverage,” the senators wrote. So, barring any policy change, the retail price will determine how easily people can get it. The price of Opill hasn’t been disclosed yet, but studies have shown even a small cost burden can present a significant barrier and make a drug inaccessible. It is more than 90 percent effective at preventing pregnancies, making it more effective than other OTC contraceptives such as condoms or spermicides. Opill, made by Dublin-based Perrigo, is likely to become available in stores and online starting in early 2024 for women of all ages. The first OTC birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year.

OTC BIRTH CONTROL UPDATE

Allen, MD, MPH, an ACOG committee member who helped update the opinion. Insurers usually don’t cover OTC products. Over-the-counter (OTC) access to birth control for women of all ages is supported by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians ().As of 2017, 74 of American women aged 18-44 support OTC access to birth control. Over-the-counter hormonal birth control would be a step toward greater access to an essential component of women’s health care and give adolescents and women more options to manage their reproductive health, said Rebecca H. Two in five (39) reproductive age females would be likely to use OTC birth control pills that do not require a prescription if approved by the FDA (Figure 2). The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover preventive services, including specific types of birth control, but only if they are prescribed. Experts explain types of birth control, hormonal birth control side effects and who can take it. But the senators asked officials to do more, such as issue new guidance for health plans, eliminate any cost-sharing and prior authorization and encourage state Medicaid programs to cover OTC contraceptives without a prescription. Over-the-counter birth control is offered in many states in 2021.

Otc birth control