On Oct. 21, the Biden administration proposed a new rule that would require private health providers to fully cover the cost of over-the-counter contraceptives. The proposed rule aims to expand access to birth control in the country by eliminating the need for a prescription and associated costs.
“The proposed rule we announce today would expand access to birth control at no additional cost for millions of consumers,” said Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary, in a statement. “Bottom line: women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and providers have an obligation to comply with the law.”
The new rule is not only a necessary step for public health but also for gender and economic equality in this country; free and open access to birth control benefits everyone.
Access to contraception is strongly linked to a range of positive health and socio-economic effects. Studies show that access reduces unwanted pregnancies — and thus, abortions, expands education and employment opportunities for women and girls, leads to better outcomes for children and reduces private and public spending.
Annually, about50% of all pregnancies that occur in the United States are unplanned, a number far higher than in the rest of the industrialized world. In a study conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine, it was found that access to free birth control reduced annual abortion rates by 60-80%; the teen pregnancy rate among girls in the study was just 18% that of the national average.
The benefits of open and free access to birth control are undeniable and numerous. It’s time for the U.S. to follow the rest of the developed world in a move that would mark a significant advancement in the rights and status of our women.
Women with early and open access to birth control show higher rates of college enrollment, increased earnings after their reproductive years and greater involvement in the workforce. In addition, access to birth control is associated with large reductions in child poverty rates and later poverty rates in adulthood, decreasing the share of children living in single-parent households.
Making birth control free not only alleviates the cost of the contraceptives themselves — which are disproportionately carried by women -– but preventing unplanned pregnancies saves taxpayer dollars. A 2014 study found that preventing unplanned pregnancies and their associated costs comprised the biggest share of government cost savings: $15.2 billion saved on Medicaid-covered maternity and infant care and on publicly funded medical care for infants.
The benefits of open and free access to birth control are undeniable and numerous. It’s time for the U.S. to follow the rest of the developed world in a move that would mark a significant advancement in the rights and status of our women.
asmajla1@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Kaboompics.com, Pexels
