Low-income women lose access to emergency contraception

As a result of the FDA's August 2006 decision, the EC landscape has changed from a prescription only environment to a ‘dual-label' environment. Non-prescription EC is now available to adults, but teens 17 and younger must still obtain a prescription. Many women, due to the age restriction, ID requirement, loss of Medicaid coverage, and/or cost increase, will be excluded from timely over-the-counter (OTC) access. Many insurance plans, including Medicaid, do not consistently cover OTC drugs, which potentially places OTC EC financially out of reach for low-income women. All women, regardless of income, deserve a second chance to prevent an unintended pregnancy. In 2005, the Institute began highlighting and removing barriers that Medicaid recipients face when accessing EC. The Institute continues to research State Medicaid programs and work with allies around the country to ensure that the necessary mechanisms are in place to process the dual-label EC product. The goal is to ensure that adult Medicaid recipients are able to access EC within the same time frame as non-Medicaid recipients. The Institute for Reproductive Health Access and the Pharmacy Access Partnership request to give a panel presentation at the 2007 APHA conference, the subject of which will be the effect of the FDA's ‘dual-label' decision. The Institute will share a variety of policy initiatives that improve EC access for low-income women. Strategies include adding the new OTC version of EC to state Medicaid formularies and removing the remaining barriers to prescription EC, such as prior authorization requirements and utilization controls.