WASHINGTON — People with private health insurance would have free access to over-the-counter medications such as condoms, the morning-after pill and oral contraceptives under new rules proposed by the White House on Monday.
Currently, health insurance companies must cover the cost of prescribed contraceptives, including prescription contraceptives and condoms prescribed by a doctor. But the new rules expand coverage, giving millions of people with private health insurance access to free condoms, oral contraceptives, or “morning-after” pills over the counter at their local store without a prescription. enable you to receive.
The proposal comes days before Election Day, when Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to expand health care access for women in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that stripped abortion rights across the country two years ago. It is listed in Harris sought to draw a sharp contrast with her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, who appointed some of the judges who decided the case.
“Today’s announcement builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s strong record of championing access to reproductive health care and the importance of women’s highly personal health care decisions, including whether and when to start or expand their families. “It is based on a commitment to ensuring the freedom to make decisions,” said Jennifer Klein. said the head of the White House Gender Policy Council in a statement.
The emergency contraceptive pill, which is available for free to people with private insurance, contains levonorgestrel, a pill that must be taken immediately after sex to prevent pregnancy and is sold under the brand name Plan B. It is well known for.
Without a doctor’s prescription, women can pay as much as $50 for a pack of pills. Additionally, women who delay purchasing the drug to obtain a doctor’s prescription may jeopardize the effectiveness of the pill, which is most likely to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours after intercourse.
The new rules would also require insurers to fully cover the cost of once-daily Opil, a new over-the-counter oral contraceptive approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year. A month’s worth of pills costs $20.
The federal mandate for private health insurance to cover contraceptive care was first introduced in the Affordable Care Act, which required plans to collect the cost of FDA-approved contraceptives prescribed by doctors as a preventive service. .
The proposed rule would not affect people enrolled in Medicaid, America’s insurance program for the poorest people. States are mostly left with the power to create their own rules regarding Medicaid coverage of contraception, and few cover commercially available methods such as Plan B or condoms.
