A new rule proposed this week by the Biden Administration will allow women to get over-the-counter contraception for free and without a prescription. It will also mandate that insurers cover prescription contraception at no cost to the patient.
Previously, a patient needed a prescription to get contraception for free, even if it was available over the counter.
Jennifer Klein, Director of the White House Gender Policy Council, notes how significant a change this would be.
“It’s the most significant expansion of contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act in more than a decade, and once finalized, it will expand coverage for more than 52 million women of reproductive age with private health insurance,” said Klein.
It's an appropriate time to create this expansion, Klein went on to say.
“This is particularly important now, because for the first time, earlier this year, the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive to be available over the counter,” Klein said.
This medication, known as Opill, was approved in March of this year and is now available.
Under the new rule, women could get this option for free, without a prescription.
Additionally, under the new rule, insurers will be mandated to cover every FDA-approved contraceptive drug, where previously they could limit their coverage to just one option, and that option may not have been the best choice for a particular patient.
The rule will undergo a 60-day public comment period before it can progress.
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