The Biden administration proposed an expansion to the Affordable Care Act that primarily focused on women’s reproductive rights on Oct. 21, 2024. Essentially, the expansion would require private insurance companies to provide over-the-counter contraceptives at no additional cost to their insurees, and if passed, could benefit over 50 million women across the country.
This rule comes at a pivotal moment in women’s healthcare. Just last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first ever over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill. The approval of Opill on its own is a landmark for women’s reproductive rights.
The National Center for Biotechnology Information found that the birth control pill is the most common form of contraception with 25 percent of women between ages 15 to 44 using the pill. However, prior to Opill’s approval, women that wanted the pill were required to make an appointment with their doctors in order to receive a prescription where they would then have to coordinate and pick up their prescription from their local pharmacy. This process is both costly and time-consuming.
While most health insurance plans already cover the cost of birth control, it is still not mandated by the government. However, the cost of the medication is not the only factor in women’s access. The average cost of a basic doctor’s appointment with insurance is between $80-$170 in the U.S., not including any additional procedures or tests. With prescription medication, patients are expected to meet at least once a year with their provider, making this a recurring cost.
Furthermore, the necessity of a prescription does not allow patients to pick up their medication when needed. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that over one-third of women were unable to take their medication due to the pharmacies inability to provide their supply. This is even more important considering that the oral contraceptives must be taken at the same time each day due to a woman’s hormonal cycle. Missing just one day can leave a woman unprotected. Therefore, if a woman does not have access to a reliable pharmacy, or she is unable to consistently pick up her medication when they are open, she no longer has a secure form of birth control.
Ultimately, Joe Biden’s proposal requiring that insurance companies also cover over-the-counter birth control is only ensuring more women have access to dependable contraceptives. This expansion is even more relevant considering recent changes to women’s reproductive rights on the federal level. In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, giving the rights back to the states and allowing them to make their own abortion laws.
Since then, many states have severely restricted access to abortions, banning abortions as early as six weeks. Not only is the decision to have an abortion something that anyone would have to extensively contemplate, six weeks is not even enough time for many women to realize they are pregnant. This puts many women in an unimaginable situation, being forced to have a child they are not prepared for.
With Donald Trump winning the presidency, Republicans gaining a majority in the House, and an already conservative judiciary, the prospect of women gaining more reproductive rights is slim to none. Expanding the A.C.A. and ensuring women have the ability to get dependable contraceptives when they need is the bare minimum Joe Biden can do in his final days in office. This is the healthcare women deserve. It is up to Biden to make his last few months count by ensuring this expansion is passed.
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