White House: Insurance Should Cover Over-the-Counter Birth Control

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Facts

  • US Pres. Joe Biden's administration is proposing a new rule that would require health insurance companies to cover over-the-counter (OTC) birth control, including the morning-after (Plan B) pill, spermicides, and condoms with no copay.[1][2]
  • While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires prescribed pills and some prescribed condoms to be covered, women currently pay upwards of $50 for a pack of Plan B pills, and $20 per month for the recently approved OTC drug Opill.[3]
  • The rule, which would take effect in 2025 if codified, would also require insurance companies to cover Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and devices, including IUDs.[4][5]
  • The rule would be targeted at private health insurance providers and would not impact Medicaid. States are usually in charge of setting their own rules around Medicaid coverage and most don't cover Plan B.[6][1]
  • This comes in the closing weeks of the presidential campaign, during which reproductive rights, particularly regarding the reversal of Roe v Wade abortion rights in 2022, has become a major campaign issue.[4][3]

Sources: [1]New York Times, [2]Wsj, [3]Breitbart, [4]NBC, [5]National Review and [6]Newsmax.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The White House. American women are facing ongoing attacks on their bodily autonomy, so the Biden administration is trying to make life easier and more affordable. The Affordable Care Act made history by forcing companies to cover prescribed contraceptives, but millions of women are still being forced to foot the bill. This new rule will ensure women don't break the bank just because they need reproductive medicine.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by The Heritage Foundation. Given that the Affordable Care Act already subsidizes contraceptives for those who can least afford them, there's absolutely no need to expand this coverage further. Besides the negative economic consequences, there are moral concerns related to forcing companies to cover birth control. Liberal US bureaucrats have to stop forcing their anti-fertility agenda on the rest of America.