The Birth Control Cascade: How the policies affect access, and access affects outcome

With the passing of Affordable Care Act (ACA) in August 2012, oral contraception has become free for all women with a prescription. Unfortunately, many women in the United States are without health insurance making it difficult to benefit from the new law. Many states’ intended restrictions on the ACA make it difficult for women to access birth control. Birth control methods, which are now considered part of standard preventative health care, give women the ability to make their own decisions about family planning. Increased access to birth control can also change many of the grim statistics related to rates of abortion, maternal and newborn death, and unplanned pregnancies. It is important to consider all the outcomes restricted access can have on all women, from those just starting menstruation, to those reaching menopause, and those of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Although the ACA is on its way to making health insurance available for all Americans, other resources, such as Planned Parenthood and Title X funds for oral contraception and women’s health, are threatened. Policies regarding oral contraception are important because they affect access, and access in turn affects the outcome of women’s reproductive health. This paper will investigate why birth control is important for women, the effects that limited access can have, the policies in place at the federal and state level, and what can be done to make oral contraception more available