Millions of people with private health insurance could get over-the-counter methods like condoms, the morning-after pill and birth control pills for free, under a new rule proposed Monday by the White House.
Currently, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription contraceptives or even condoms that doctors have issued a prescription for. But the new rule would expand that coverage, allowing millions of people to buy free condoms, birth control pills or “morning after” pills at local stores without a prescription.
The proposal comes days before Election Day, as Vice President Kamala Harris is linking her presidential campaign to a promise to expand women’s access to health care, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling. United States to revoke the national right to abortion two years ago. Harris sought to create a distinct contrast with her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, who named some of the judges who made the ruling.
“The proposed rule we are announcing 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. “The bottom line: Women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and providers have an obligation to comply with the law.
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Emergency contraceptives that people with private insurance could access for free include levonorgestrel, a pill that must be taken immediately after sex to prevent pregnancy and is more commonly known by the brand name “Plan B “.
Without a doctor’s prescription, women can pay up to $50 for a pack of pills. And women who delay purchasing the drug in order to obtain a doctor’s prescription could compromise the pill’s effectiveness, because it is more likely to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of sex.
If implemented, the new rule would also require insurers to bear the full cost of once-daily Opill, a new over-the-counter birth control pill approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A month’s supply of pills costs $20.
Copays prevent some women from purchasing birth control, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement praising the newly proposed rule.
“Birth control is an essential part of the lives of many of our patients, but the simple truth is that even with insurance coverage, the cost of co-pays can be prohibitive for many people,” says the press release.
Federal mandates for private health insurance covering contraceptive care were first introduced with the Affordable Care Act, which required plans to cover the cost of FDA-approved, doctor-prescribed contraceptives preventive.
America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying group for private health insurers, said Monday it was reviewing the proposal.
The proposed rule would not impact those on Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. States are largely free to design their own rules regarding Medicaid coverage for contraception, and few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.