For Immediate Release

Oct. 30, 2023

Loretta Kane (917-410-7242 or loretta@caminopr.com)

Senators call on administration to expand health insurance coverage for over-the-counter contraceptives

Following FDA approval of first OTC birth control pill, 48 senators urge U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor to expand health insurance for eligible, uninsured populations

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senate members urged the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor to take swift steps to expand the Affordable Care Act’s insurance coverage requirements to cover FDA-approved over-the-counter contraceptive products under private plans and Medicaid.

In a major contraceptive breakthrough, a daily oral contraceptive will be sold on store shelves in early 2024. A second birth control pill is under FDA review and may be on store shelves within a few years. However, insurance companies are still allowed to provide coverage for these pills only after a prescription has been submitted.

The nonprofit Contraceptive Access Initiative (CAI), which advocates for expanded access to contraceptives and has published a roadmap for over-the-counter birth control affordability, praised the Senate action.

“It makes no sense to cover a contraception when obtained with a prescription, and not cover it without -- the enormous health benefits are the same. People should be able to use their insurance coverage for birth control pills whether they get it by prescription from a medical provider or whether they simply purchase it off the shelf at a retail store,” said CAI co-founder Dana Singiser. “I applaud Senators Murray, Baldwin, Sanders, and Wyden and their Senate colleagues for raising their collective voices to ensure that over-the-counter contraception is financially accessible.”

“People  should be able to obtain the birth control pill over the counter without unnecessary  financial burdens," said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, chief medical advisor for CAI and a practicing OB-GYN. “Affordable access to contraception is an urgent imperative to help address health equity, and fortunately there are immediate steps that can be taken to do that.”

The full text of the letter is available HERE

Visit the Contraceptive Access Initiative website to learn more about:

Please contact Colleen McCabe (colleen@caminopr.com) to request interviews with experts or personal storytellers. 

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The nonprofit Contraceptive Access Initiative (CAI) advocates for increasing access to hormonal contraception over-the-counter for all ages, free from stigma, bias and coercion. Follow CAI on Twitter @ThePillOTC and on LinkedIn.