Opinion: A roadmap for making over-the-counter birth control affordable
Let’s work toward a near future in which contraception products are on store shelves and free from access barriers, discrimination, or inflated prices.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Opill, the first over-the-counter access birth control pill, in a monumental and long overdue win for reproductive and public health care. This FDA ruling will significantly expand access to high-quality contraception for folks across the country. However, true access will require affordability, too.
I had the honor of serving on the team in the Obama White House that tackled the challenge of making health insurance affordable to all under the Affordable Care Act. I had a front-row seat to see how women in Congress — led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Patty Murray, and especially former Sen. Barbara Mikulski — fought for coverage of women’s preventive services like mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, and, yes, contraception. When President Obama signed the ACA into law on March 23, 2010, reproductive health took a giant step forward with its commonsense yet revolutionary approach. But today, we are still working to turn that the promise into reality.
What's Your Reaction?
