Obamacare Is Working: Most Insured Women Get No-Copay Contraception

Shutterstock image of birth control pills. Photo credit: varin jindawong
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The Guttmacher Institute found that the health care law’s provision requiring insurance companies to cover contraception has resulted in more women obtaining birth control without a copay.

According to a new study, since the fall of 2012, the number of women who paid nothing extra to obtain birth control pills increased from 12 percent to 67 percent. More women have also obtained other forms of contraception with no out-of-pocket costs, according to Guttmacher.

“This analysis shows that the contraceptive coverage guarantee under the ACA is working as intended,” Adam Sonfield, senior public policy associate at Guttmacher, said of the study. “Large numbers of women are now able to obtain highly effective birth control methods without co-pays or deductibles, making it easier for them to choose the method they can use most consistently and effectively to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.”

There are still gaps in coverage for women since insurers can charge a co-pay for certain forms and brands of contraception, according to the study.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: