Starting next year, women in the U.S. will for the first time be able to buy oral contraceptives without a prescription \u2014 at pharmacies, convenience stores, grocery stores and from online retailers \u2014 after the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the over-the-counter sales of Opill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The approval means many women will be able to avoid the time and expense of visiting a doctor to get a prescription for birth control. It will also help expand birth-control access after the Supreme Court struck down the right to abortion that women had under Roe v. Wade, policy experts say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n \u201c<\/span>Approval of Opill will help expand birth-control access after the Supreme Court struck down the right to abortion that women had under Roe v. Wade, policy experts say.\u00a0\u201d<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIn many of the states that now prohibit abortion care, there are also many people who cannot access contraceptive care,\u201d said Adrienne Ton, health director of clinical operations at TBD Health, a sexual-healthcare company based in Stamford, Conn.\u00a0<\/p>\n She cited challenges in getting access to birth control, including access to a trusted healthcare provider, the cost of care, insurance status, wait times and even fear of a domestic partner. \u201cThe barriers can be more complex for those under 18, so this is a huge win for teens especially,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n When used as directed, oral contraceptives are safe and would be the most effective birth-control option available over the counter, Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA\u2019s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Condoms, which are currently the most common over-the-counter birth-control option, are less effective than birth-control pills, with a failure rate of 18%, compared with 9% for the pill, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.<\/p>\n Perrigo Co. The cost of birth-control pills ranges from nothing to $50 a month, depending on a person\u2019s insurance coverage, according to Planned Parenthood, an organization that supports access to abortion services and birth control. According to GoodRx Health, the average annual out-of-pocket cost for birth-control pills is approximately $268.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the only over-the-counter option, Opill may not be the cheapest birth-control pill on an annual basis, according to GoodRx Health and Planned Parenthood.\u00a0<\/p>\n Until now, the most effective contraceptive options required a prescription or a visit to a doctor\u2019s office. Those include birth-control pills, patches and rings; intrauterine devices; and implants.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans are required to cover the full cost of birth control for women without charging out-of-pocket fees \u2014 but 41% of women of reproductive age were not aware of that, according to health-policy research organization KFF.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are many reasons a young woman might choose not to use insurance for Opill, assuming it\u2019s eventually covered by insurance.<\/p>\n An adolescent who needs birth control may not have access to transportation to see the reproductive-healthcare provider and, therefore, over-the-counter access may be easier and more affordable, said Anne-Marie Amies, chair of the Clinical Consensus Committee on Gynecology at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.<\/p>\n Privacy is also a factor. \u201cWe support adolescent confidentiality, but even with state and federal laws surrounding patient privacy, it is hard to keep the fact that a clinic visit happened private when insurance explanations of benefits are mailed home,\u201d Amies added.<\/p>\n IUD:<\/strong> The device needs to be inserted by a doctor or a nurse. For those without insurance, it can cost more than $1,000; with insurance, the cost ranges from $0 to about $56. Hormonal IUDs must be replaced every 3 to 6 years, while copper devices last up to 10 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Implant:<\/strong> This small, rodlike implant releases hormones that prevent pregnancy. It must be implanted into a person\u2019s arm by a healthcare provider and it lasts three to four years. It costs up to $1,300 without insurance; with insurance, the out-of-pocket cost is about $91, or about $30 per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u201c<\/span>\u2018Birth-control pills are among the most effective types of birth control, alongside the ring, the shot and the patch, as well as intrauterine devices and the implant.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\n <\/p>\n Opill: cost and access<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n the manufacturer of Opill, said it will be available in early 2024, and price information will be released in the coming months. The accessibility of Opill will also depend on whether the drug will be covered by insurance companies: Currently, private health-insurance plans are generally not required to cover nonprescription FDA-approved contraceptives.<\/p>\nAccessing insurance can be fraught<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Other birth-control options<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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