Help Me Affordable Care Act, You’re My Only Hope!

A study published in the journal Women’s Health Issues last week highlighted a problem many women have confronted over the years when getting their birth control: even when you have insurance, the costs for contraception can be unaffordable. The study showed that, in 2010, on average women with private insurance paid $10 for a one-month supply of generic pills, $112 for an IUD, and $116 for an implant. The study also found that costs varied depending on your insurer, with some women having to pay more than $17 a month for generic pills, $305 for an IUD, or $308 for an implant. On top of these high costs, the study found that between 2007 and 2010, insurance companies shifted to women costs for long-acting contraceptives, like IUDs and implants. In 2007, a woman paid 13.8% of the cost of an IUD, whereas in 2010 she paid 17.5%.

If these price tags have you confused, there is hope. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as “Obamacare,” contains a provision that requires health insurers to provide coverage of the full-range of FDA-approved contraceptives without cost sharing. That means that over time, as more and more plans are required to comply with the law, women should not have to pay these fees. Health insurers cannot require a woman to pay a deductible or co-pay for her contraceptive. Whether a woman wants a pill, an IUD, or an implant, the out-of-pocket cost to her will be $0.

Our website has even more information about this requirement, including how to find out when your health insurance must provide this coverage. If you had trouble getting contraceptive coverage without cost sharing and you are unsure why, let us know. We might be able to help. Please contact us at 1-866-PILL4US or via email at pill4us@nwlc.org.