Planned Parenthood Says New Regulations Ensure Women Can Get Birth Control at No Cost

BOSTON - Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts said today that the revised accommodation to the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit will ensure that women can access no co-pay birth control as part of basic health care. Following is a statement issued by PPLM’s Board Chair and Interim CEO, Nonnie S. Burnes:
 
“The Administration’s proposal delivers on its promise to women that they should have access to birth control without co-pays no matter where they work. While we must review the technical aspects of this proposal, this policy makes it clear that your boss does not get to decide whether you can have birth control.
 
“Birth control is a basic and essential component of women’s preventive health care. Women have been fighting for access to birth control for decades, and this is a historic advance for both health care and equality. As one of the nation’s leading providers of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood has led the charge for access to contraception for nearly a century, and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that women have access to birth control without hurdles or co-pays.”
 
Background:

Public polling finds overwhelming support for women’s access to birth control:

• Seven in ten Americans (70%) believe that health insurance companies should be required to cover the full cost of birth control, just as they do for other preventive services, according to an October 2012 poll by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

The Contraceptive CHOICE Study released last fall demonstrated that access to no co-pay birth control — as outlined in the Affordable Care Act — leads to significantly lowered unintended pregnancy and abortion rates.

Access to affordable birth control benefits women and their families:

• Birth control has contributed to the advancement of women in the workplace by allowing them to plan for their futures and invest in their careers.
• Research finds that availability of the pill is responsible for a third of women’s wage increases relative to men.
• By the 1980s and ’90s, the women who had early access to the pill were making eight percent more each year than those who did not.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is the largest freestanding reproductive health care provider in the state. For over 80 years PPLM has protected and promoted sexual and reproductive health and freedom of choice through clinical services, education and advocacy.  For more information, visit www.pplm.org.