Health insurance should cover condoms and other contraceptives: White House – National

Millions of people with private health insurance would be able to buy over-the-counter methods such as condoms, the morning after pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed Monday.

Currently, health insurers must cover the cost of prescribed contraception, including prescription contraception or even condoms for which doctors have issued a prescription. But the new rule would expand that coverage, allowing millions to buy free condoms, birth control pills or “morning after” pills at local stores without a prescription.

The proposal comes days before Election Day, as Vice President Kamala Harris ties her presidential campaign to a pledge to expand access to health care for women, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nationwide abortion rights two years ago to make. Harris has sought to create a stark contrast with her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, who appointed some of the judges who issued that ruling.

“The proposed rule we are announcing today would expand access to contraception at no additional cost to millions of consumers,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “The bottom line: women should have control over their personal health care decisions. And issuers and providers have a duty to comply with the law.”

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Among the emergency contraceptives that people with private insurance could get access to for free is levonorgestrel, a pill taken immediately after sex to prevent pregnancy and better known by the brand name “Plan B.”

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Without a doctor’s prescription, women can pay as much as $50 for a pack of pills. And women who delay purchasing the drug to get a doctor’s prescription may jeopardize the pill’s effectiveness, as it is likely to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of sex.

If implemented, the new rule would also require insurers to fully cover the cost of once-daily Opill, a new over-the-counter birth control pill that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved last year. A month’s supply of pills costs $20.

Copays prevent some women from purchasing birth control, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement praising the newly proposed rule.

“Birth control is a critical part of the lives of so many of our patients, but the simple truth is that even with insurance coverage, the cost of copays can be unaffordable for many people,” the statement said.

Federal mandates for private health insurance to cover contraceptive care were first introduced with the Affordable Care Act, which required plans to cover the cost of FDA-approved contraception prescribed by a doctor as a preventive service.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying group for private health insurers, said Monday it was reviewing the proposal.

The proposed rule would not affect Medicaid, the insurance program for the poorest Americans. It is largely left to states to design their own rules around Medicaid coverage for contraception, and few cover over-the-counter methods like Plan B or condoms.

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