How Much Do The Most Popular Birth Control Methods Cost

The cost of birth control is typically dependent on method, brand, and insurance . Although there are methods of birth control that are free, such as fertility awareness or the withdrawal method, they are not as effective as hormonal birth control. More specifically, these methods are about 78% effective with typical use, compared to hormonal birth control methods, which are 93% effective with typical use and 99.7% effective with perfect use. Furthermore, even though hormonal birth control may be costly, it has greater outcomes in terms of preventing pregnancy.

Here is a breakdown of the cost of each method:

• Birth control pill cost varies based on whether the pill is a generic or name-brand variant the average price is $15 to $50 per month, or between $180 to $600 each year.
• Birth control ring and patch cost around $150 per month, or $1,800 each year.
• Condoms the average couple will spend $150 per year.
• Cervical cap the average cost is between $35 and $60 per year.

• IUDs cost between $500 and $1,000 upfront
• Birth control shot cost averages between $220 and $460 per year.
• Female sterilization costs between $1,500 and $6,000 total.

Full Coverage Of Birth Control Under The Affordable Care Act Should Be Kicking In Right Aboutnow

UPDATE: President Biden has opened a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act health insurance plans for 2021. You can now enroll in one of these plans until August 15, 2021, at healthcare.gov. Some states have their own open enrollment periods and websites for signing up. Check to see if your state does. We also have more information about how to get insurance and learn what kinds of plans to watch out for.

By Gretchen Borchelt of the National Womens Law Center.

Has birth control ever given you sticker shock? Thanks to the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act , if you have health insurance, your preferred birth control method should now be a covered benefit without any out-of-pocket expenses. You read that right: when you walk into the pharmacy to pick up a pack of pills, your receipt should say $0. Same deal when you go to a health care provider to get an IUD: $0.

But the devils in the details. The National Womens Law Center is here to help sort through whether your plan has to provide this benefit, what types of birth control you should get access to, and what you can do if you have coverage but youre still being charged copays or deductibles for birth control.

The Affordable Care Act And Contraceptive Benefits

Monique Rainford, MD, is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology, and currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale Medicine. She is the former chief of obstetrics-gynecology at Yale Health.

Navigating the world of health insurance in the United States is no easy task, especially when it comes to birth control. While the Affordable Care Act guarantees coverage for most women with health insurance, the details can vary from state to state and plan to plan.

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Where Can I Get Birth Control Pills

You need a prescription for birth control pills. You can get a prescription from a doctor or nurse at a doctors office, health clinic, or your local Planned Parenthood health center. In a few states, you can even get a prescription online or directly from a pharmacist.

During your visit, a nurse or doctor will talk with you about your medical history, check your blood pressure, and give you whatever exams you may need. Most people dont need pelvic exams in order to get birth control pills. Your nurse or doctor will help you decide whats right for you based on your medical history.

You may be able to get your birth control pills right away during your appointment. Or youll get a prescription from the nurse or doctor, and youll go pick up your pills at a drugstore or pharmacy.

What Are My Options When It Comes To Birth Control

Women who dont want to become pregnant accidentally have a slew of options these days when it comes to choosing between contraceptives. Here are the most common methods:

• birth control pill, patch, or shot
• cervical cap
• condoms
• diaphragms
• IUDs and other implanted devices
• spermicide
• sterilization procedures like tubal ligation and vasectomy
• vaginal rings

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the pill is the most commonly used form of birth control among U.S. women. Female sterilization and male condoms follow just behind it in popularity. IUDs and other kinds of implantable contraceptives are becoming increasingly popular, too.

To learn more about each of the birth control methods listed above, visit plannedparenthood.org.

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How Much Is Birth Control Out Of Pocket

Birth control pills cost between $0$50 a month. They can be totally free with most health insurance plans, or if you qualify for some government programs. You can get a prescription for the birth control pill from a doctor or nurse at a doctors office, health clinic, or your local Planned Parenthood health center.29 jui. 2020

Health Insurance And Birth Control Or Contraceptives

Updated on Wednesday, June 27 2018| by Bryan Ochalla

Women who want or need to use birth control have a ton of options these days. But do U.S. health plans usually cover those contraceptives? Youll find answers to that question and many others in this article.

Why does it matter if health insurance covers birth control or not? Or why should anyone care if health insurance covers birth control or not?

Those questions can be answered in a number of ways.

For example, one possible reply is that birth control–or contraceptives, or even family planning, if thats what you prefer–is expensive. Or it can be, especially if your insurance plan doesnt pay for it.

On the low end, theres what most people know as the pill. Without health insurance, youll pay about $50 per month for these oral contraceptives. With insurance, you may pay nothing out of pocket for it.

On the high end, theres getting your tubes tied–a procedure otherwise known as tubal ligation or female sterilization. If you dont have health insurance, you could pay as much as $6,000 to have this done. And if you do have insurance? Again, you might pay nothing for it.

Those figures alone make it clear why so many Americans care whether or not their health insurance plans cover birth control.

Keep reading for answers to those questions and many more.

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Do Student Health Policies Have To Cover Birth Control Without Co

Image: Africa Studio / stock.adobe.com

Q. Do student health policies have to cover birth control without co-pays?

A. Yes, although schools with religious objections to contraception are not required to include contraceptive coverage in their student health plans.

Under ACA implementation rules, policies that began on or after August 1, 2012, are required to provide all FDA-approved contraceptive methods for women, including sterilization, with no cost-sharing. That doesnt mean that every birth control option for women is provided at no cost. Rather, it means at least one version of every type of contraceptive is covered at no cost to the patient.

Religious employers were exempt from the mandate to cover contraceptives for their employees from the start. But religiously affiliated employers such as universities and hospitals were not considered religious employers under the ACA. However, that position was challenged by Hobby Lobby in a highly-publicized case that ended up before the Supreme Court in 2015.

The Court ruled that Hobby Lobby did not have to cover certain types of contraceptives under its health insurance plan. HHS quickly issued an accommodation that essentially created a separate plan under which the women could obtain contraceptives as needed, without the religiously affiliated organization having to fund the contraception.

Which Birth Control Is Covered By Health Insurance

Not all contraceptive methods are created equally so it is important to know which methods are covered under your insurance plan. The Affordable Care Act requires that plans cover all FDA-approved methods of contraception. Hormonal birth control pills, diaphragms, sponges, IUD’s, arm implants, emergency contraception , and sterilization are all methods that are covered by insurance.

Each plan is different so you will want to check with your healthcare provider if you have questions on a specific contraceptive method. Check out this guide for a more in-depth look at what your health insurance policy may cover.

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Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes In Your Area

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, requires health insurers to cover preventive health services with no co-pays, deductibles or other cost-sharing. Shortly after the passage of the law, a panel of medical experts recommended including contraceptives as preventive care, and the Obama administration agreed.

This led to a common expectation that all birth control would be free under the new law. Once the contraceptive mandate took hold, the reality was somewhat different, with many women discovering they still had to pay out-of-pocket for their contraception, and some options were not covered at all.

Which Birth Control Products Are Covered Under The Aca

Currently, there are 18 FDA-approved categories of birth control. Under the ACA, insurance companies are required by law to cover at least one contraceptive method from each of these categories.

What are the different types of FDA-approved contraceptive categories?

• Hormonal birth control methods the pill, patch, ring, or shot.
• Barrier methods diaphragm, spermicides, female condoms, and sponges.
• Prescription Emergency Contraception = Ella®
• Over the Counter Emergency contraceptives such as Plan B® and its generics

• Implant
• Intrauterine devices hormonal and nonhormonal IUDs.
• Sterilization for women
• Patient counseling and education.

Insurance plans can significantly vary from company to company. Its critical that women understand that a particular insurance company is not required to cover every brand of birth control. An insurer can choose to include a generic birth control pill, instead of a name-brand pill and they would still be operating within the ACA mandates. Insurers can also charge co-pays for name-brand pills. However, if there is no generic form of a particular birth control method and it is necessary for the patient to have it, then the insurer is required to pay for it. The ring is a prime example of this because there is no generic form of the birth control Nuvaring®.

Its also important to note that under the ACA, insurers are not required to cover any abortifacient drugs, or male condoms or vasectomies.

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How Do You Choose The Best Method

The best method of birth control is one that protects you every time you have sex. And with many types of birth control, that depends on how well you use it. To find a method that will work for you every time, some things to think about include:

If you are using a method now that you are not happy with, talk to your doctor about other choices.

Can You Get Birth Control Without Insurance

Even if you do not have health insurance you can still get access to contraceptive care through organizations such as Planned Parenthood. If you do not have health insurance the professionals at Planned Parenthood are available to help you find out how to obtain the right method of birth control for you.

Planned Parenthood is a healthcare organization that is dedicated to helping individuals get the resources they need. You can be sure that your visit will be confidential and that you will be treated with respect no matter what brings you to the office. You can get many other services at Planned Parenthood besides contraception, including STD testing.

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What Health Factors Could Limit My Choice Of Birth Control

If you have health problems or other risk factors, some birth control methods may not be right for you.

• Smoking. If you smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day and are 35 or older or have high blood pressure, a history of stroke, a history of blood clots, liver disease, or heart disease, you may not be able to use combined hormonal methods.
• Migraines. If you have migraine headaches, talk to your health professional about whether you can try combined hormonal contraception.
• Diabetes. If you have advanced or long-standing diabetes, discuss the risks of taking hormonal birth control methods with your health professional.
• Childbirth. If you have just delivered a baby, the estrogen-progestin methods of birth control aren’t recommended in those first few weeks. Progestin-only pills, an implant, both kinds of IUDs, or birth control shots are a good option for women who have just given birth.

Other health problems that might keep you from using a particular birth control method are relatively rare, especially in young women. But before using any method, talk with your health professional to see if it is safe for you.

What Does Cigna Not Cover

The following services are excluded from coverage regardless of clinical indications Macromastia or Gynecomastia Surgeries Surgical treatment of varicose veins Rhinoplasty Blepharoplasty Redundant skin surgery Removal of skin tags Acupressure Craniosacral/cranial therapy Dance therapy,

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Are There Any Exceptions To This Coverage

From the start, the mandate accommodated religious nonprofits that objected to contraceptive coverage. In 2014, based on the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, this exception included not only religious nonprofits but religious employers of all kinds as well. Employers with religious affiliations could now opt-out of the birth control mandate citing their religious beliefs. These religious employers would notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of their objection. Then they would no longer have to provide health insurance to their employees that covered birth control.

In October 2017, under the Trump administration, this exemption was expanded. Now it allows almost any organization to opt-out of the birth control mandate,. Not only religious ones. As long as they feel providing contraceptive coverage violates their religious beliefs or moral convictions. The new rule also removes the provision requiring these employers to notify the government they are doing so. Now the only requirement is to notify employees of a change in their health insurance plan.

I Oppose Birth Control Being Covered By Insurance Because We Are Spending Too Much Already

We are already spending a lot of money on health insurance to make sure people with cancer and other illnesses are able to live a nice life. We, as tax payers, should not pay to make sure someone does not get pregnant by having consensual sex. If the person does not want a baby, than I advise them not to have sex. But, we, as taxpayers, should not have to pay extra in taxes to make sure someone else does not make a mistake by their own stupidity.

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What Birth Control Services Are Up To Provider Discretion

Some brand-name birth control pills are not automatically covered under the ACA.

But your doctor or other healthcare provider may be able to argue with your insurance to get the brand-name birth control deemed needed be covered, according to Yen.

Want to avoid surprise charges later down the line? Smart!

Just call your health insurance provider ahead of time to find out what costs they will cover.

Check out this guide from CoverHer for tips on exactly what to say to your providers.

How And Where To Get Free Birth Control

How and where to get free birth control depends on what kind of birth control a person would like and whether the person has health insurance.

Non-barrier methods of birth control may require a prescription from a doctor. If a person is insured either through the Health Insurance Marketplace or through an employer that does not have a religious exemption, the cost of these doctors appointments would be covered by the persons insurance.

If a person does not have health insurance, they can consider visiting their local public health office, family planning clinic, or Title X clinic for a free or low-cost exam. For example, Planned Parenthood offers services to help people choose and find birth control that suits their health and budget needs.

After the exam, a doctor will issue a prescription for the type of birth control the person has chosen. Some facilities may be able to provide the prescribed birth control onsite.

Some university health centers may also offer free or low-cost birth control options.

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Does The Affordable Care Act Require Health Insurance Plans To Cover Birth Control Or Contraceptives Or What Does The Affordable Care Act Say About Birth Control Or Contraceptive Coverage

Yes, the Affordable Care Act, passed into law in 2010, requires most health insurance plans sold or offered to Americans to cover a number of birth control options.

Before the ACAs passage, this kind of contraceptive coverage was widespread, but it also was far from universal.

Although its still not universal thanks to the religious and moral objections the law allows some employers to make, its closer to that point than ever before.

So what does the ACA specifically say about U.S. health insurance plans and birth control coverage? The main bullet point worth highlighting here is it requires most plans to cover FDA-approved prescription contraceptives for women.

Similarly important, though, is the requirement that impacted plans not charge copays or coinsurance for these products and services. Thats a big deal because the copays or coinsurance fees tied to a procedure like tubal ligation can be expensive.

There are a few catches to this coverage, though. One is that in-network physicians or providers have to prescribe or administer these contraceptives or services. Another is that the ACA allows insurers and plans to use certain medical management tactics to control costs, including:

Also, some organizations with religious affiliations and objections are exempt from this mandate and so dont have to include birth control coverage in the health plans they offer employees.