Contraceptive Insurance Coverage has Improved Dramatically; State Laws Prove Effective, but There is More to be Done, Says Study 6/15/2004
From: Rebecca Wind of The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 212-248-1953; Web: http://www.guttmacher.org NEW YORK, June 15 -- Nearly nine in 10 group insurance plans purchased by employers for their employees now cover a full range of prescription contraceptives- three times as many as just a decade ago, a new study from The Alan Guttmacher Institute shows. The study, "U.S. Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives and the Impact of Contraceptive Coverage Mandates, 2002," by Adam Sonfield et al., also finds that state laws played a critical role in this improvement. Better insurance coverage and improved method choice should improve each woman's ability to choose the contraceptive method that is best suited to her needs rather than choosing the method that best fits her budget. Improvements since The Alan Guttmacher Institute's first study of private insurance coverage of reproductive health services in 1993 have been profound. In 2002, 86 percent of employer- purchased plans typically covered the full range of contraceptive methods, compared with just 28 percent in 1993; the proportion of plans covering no method at all plummeted from 28 percent to only 2 percent during this period. In addition, 20 states now have laws in place requiring insurers to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees if they cover other prescription drugs. Plans in states with these laws have significantly more- extensive coverage than plans that are designed specifically to provide coverage in states without such mandates. A companion analysis, "New Study Documents Major Strides in Drive for Contraceptive Coverage," by Adam Sonfield and Rachel Benson Gold summarizes and discusses the implications of this federally funded study. Differences in insurance coverage and cost can discourage a woman from choosing the most appropriate contraceptive method for her health and lifestyle. Equalizing coverage across a broad range of methods enables each woman to choose-with fewer concerns over cost-the method that she is most likely to use effectively to prevent unintended pregnancy. For more information, or to read the full reports, go to http://www.guttmacher.org/media/pre-releases/2004/06/07/ --- The Alan Guttmacher Institute - http://www.guttmacher.org -- is a not-for-profit corporation for sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C. |