The Biden administration is seeking public comment on whether to require most health insurance plans to provide free coverage of various over-the-counter (OTC) preventive products, including contraceptives.
The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to cover preventive services, including certain types of contraception, only if prescribed. Insurance companies typically do not cover OTC products.
The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury are requesting comment on how such policies would impact access to a wide range of over-the-counter products, including contraceptives, smoking cessation products, folic acid during pregnancy, and breastfeeding products. He said he was looking for it.
The request for comment follows a series of executive orders from the White House, including an executive order in June aimed at increasing access to contraception and family planning.
This also follows the approval of the first OTC oral contraceptive by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. Manufactured by Dublin-based Perrigo, Opil is expected to be available in stores and online for women of all ages from early 2024.
Efforts to make contraceptives available over the counter have been going on for years, but the movement took on added urgency after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and abolished the constitutional right to abortion. Increased sex.
The price of Opil has not yet been disclosed, but studies have shown that even a small cost can create a significant barrier and reduce access to the drug.
“While we know that making preventive treatments available over-the-counter improves access, there may still be cost barriers,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. .
In the announcement, both agencies said they are committed to advancing health equity and that the comments were aimed at “addressing systemic racism and historical inequities against women and the LGBTQIA community.” He said he hopes that understanding will spread.
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