Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit

Tip Sheet: This tip sheet provides actionable ideas specific to elected officials as well as linked resources from the toolkit to get you started. (Also see the R-Street blog post about toolkit.)

Interactive State-by-State Maps

• Reproductive health access policies (These maps show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception.)

Infographics

• Birth Control 101: The Importance of Having Access to the Full Range of Methods
• Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control
• Coverage for an Extended Supply of Prescription Contraceptives

Polling

• Survey Says: Thanks, Birth Control 2022: Nearly six in ten (57%) young adults think it will be harder to access birth control in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats (75%), Independents (56%) and Republicans (32%) are all concerned about access to birth control. 
• Everyone Loves Birth Control: Birth control is directly linked to a wide array of benefits to women, men, children, and society, including fewer unplanned pregnancies.

Factsheets and Briefs

***Updated Jan 2025*** State Actions to Expand Contraceptive Coverage: Since 2014, nearly a third of states have undertaken efforts to expand contraceptive access by mandating that health insurance plans cover the full range of contraceptive methods without cost-sharing and with limits on utilization controls. 

***Updated Jan 2025*** Extended Supply of Contraception: Twenty-eight states (including D.C.) require insurers to increase the number of months for which they cover prescription contraceptives at one time. This fact sheet offers details on the laws in each of those states. 

Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control: Over the last few years there has been a growing interest in expanding the authority of pharmacists to directly prescribe and dispense some hormonal birth control methods. This fact sheet includes an overview of the policy, including benefits and implementation considerations, and a table summarizing the policies in the 24 states that allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control. 

Contraceptive Deserts 101: Understand the basics about our birth control deserts and how to communicate their significance.

Introducing the Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit: A webinar recording with Power to Decide and their partners, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and R Street Institute. This webinar walked attendees through the digital toolkit to introduce them to the various resources contained inside.

External Resources:

R-Street: New Contraceptive Toolkit Offers Clear Information During Uncertain Times - This blog post provides an overview of the toolkit and how to use it.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: ‘Gag rule’ is devastating reproductive health services - In this Letter to the Editor, former Pennsylvania Congressman and current Power to Decide board member, Charlie Dent urges ". . . Republicans at the federal and state level to align with the American people in supporting access to contraception. . ."

R-Street - Bipartisan Solutions for Birth Control Access (Virtual Panel Recording)

Pharmacists Prescribing

• Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity: Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Contraception - This research brief describes the pharmacist workforce prescribing contraception in 12 states that had authorized pharmacist prescribing as of 2019.
• Manatt: Implementing Pharmacist Contraceptive Prescribing, a playbook for states and stakeholders. 
• R Street: Fact sheet and webinar highlight evidence and bipartisan support for pharmacist-prescribed birth control, plus our blog on 5 key takeaways from the webinar.  
• Pharmacists Provide Expanded Access to Safe, Essential Birth Control - This article from Arnold Ventures discusses new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Network Open that finds pharmacist-prescribed birth control is helping close the gap for young and uninsured women. 
• Birth Control Pharmacist Research Round-Up - Includes research on pharmacist prescribing, covering interest and attitudes among pharmacists, providers, and the public; implementation and experiences; outcomes and cost-savings, and more. 
• 2020 State Forum Recording on Pharmacist Birth Control Services - Birth Control Pharmacist and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) hosted the second States Forum on Pharmacist Birth Control Services virtually on April 13, 2020.

Extended Supply

• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control

Miscellaneous

• FDA: Birth Control Chart
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health: Position Statement: Expanding Access to Hormonal Contraception
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Committee Opinion on Over-the-Counter Access to Hormonal Contraception

Tip Sheet: This tip sheet provides actionable ideas specific to public health officials as well as linked resources from the toolkit to get you started. 

Interactive State-by-State Maps

• Reproductive health access policies (These maps show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception.)

Infographics

• Birth Control 101: The Importance of Having Access to the Full Range of Methods
• Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control
• Coverage for an Extended Supply of Prescription Contraceptives

Polling

• Survey Says: Thanks, Birth Control 2022: Nearly six in ten (57%) young adults think it will be harder to access birth control in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats (75%), Independents (56%) and Republicans (32%) are all concerned about access to birth control. 
• Everyone Loves Birth Control: Birth control is directly linked to a wide array of benefits to women, men, children, and society, including fewer unplanned pregnancies. This brief is regularly updated with the latest data. 

Factsheets and Briefs

***Updated Jan 2025*** State Actions to Expand Contraceptive Coverage: Since 2014, nearly a third of states have undertaken efforts to expand contraceptive access by mandating that health insurance plans cover the full range of contraceptive methods without cost-sharing and with limits on utilization controls. 

***Updated Jan 2025*** Extended Supply of Contraception: Twenty-eight states (including D.C.) require insurers to increase the number of months for which they cover prescription contraceptives at one time. This fact sheet offers details on the laws in each of those states. 

Sample Op-Eds / Blogs on State Contraceptive Landscapes: Use these state-specific sample op-eds/blogs to raise attention on the issues and solutions in your state. More states will be available in the near future. 

Contraceptive Deserts 101: Understand the basics about our birth control deserts and how to communicate their significance.

Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control: Over the last few years there has been a growing interest in expanding the authority of pharmacists to directly prescribe and dispense some hormonal birth control methods. This fact sheet includes an overview of the policy, including benefits and implementation considerations, and a table summarizing policies in the 24 states that allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control. Also see our state-specific pharmacist prescribing factsheets.

State Policies to Increase Information About and Access to Contraception: This policy brief describes a number of emerging state policy trends to expand information about and access to birth control.

Introducing the Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit: A webinar recording with Power to Decide and their partners, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and R Street Institute. This webinar walked attendees through the digital toolkit to introduce them to the various resources contained inside.

External Resources:

Pharmacists Prescribing

• Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity: Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Contraception - This research brief describes the pharmacist workforce prescribing contraception in 12 states that had authorized pharmacist prescribing as of 2019.
• Manatt: Implementing Pharmacist Contraceptive Prescribing, a playbook for states and stakeholders. 
• R Street: Fact sheet and webinar highlight evidence and bipartisan support for pharmacist-prescribed birth control, plus our blog on 5 key takeaways from the webinar.  
• Pharmacists Provide Expanded Access to Safe, Essential Birth Control - This article from Arnold Ventures discusses new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Network Open that finds pharmacist-prescribed birth control is helping close the gap for young and uninsured women. 
• Birth Control Pharmacist Research Round-Up - Includes research on pharmacist prescribing, covering interest and attitudes among pharmacists, providers, and the public; implementation and experiences; outcomes and cost-savings, and more. 
• R-Street Virtual Panel Recording - Bipartisan Solutions for Birth Control Access
• 2020 State Forum Recording on Pharmacist Birth Control Services - Birth Control Pharmacist and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) hosted the second States Forum on Pharmacist Birth Control Services virtually on April 13, 2020.

Extended Supply

• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control

Miscellaneous

• FDA: Birth Control Chart
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health: Position Statement: Expanding Access to Hormonal Contraception
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Committee Opinion on Over-the-Counter Access to Hormonal Contraception
• R-Street: New Contraceptive Toolkit Offers Clear Information During Uncertain Times - This blog post provides an overview of the toolkit and how to use it.

Tip Sheet for Advocates: How to Use this Toolkit to Take Action: This tip sheet provides actionable ideas and linked resources from the tool kit to get you started.

Interactive State-by-State Maps

• Reproductive health access policies (These maps show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception.)

Infographics

• Birth Control 101: The Importance of Having Access to the Full Range of Methods
• Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control
• Coverage for an Extended Supply of Prescription Contraceptives

Polling

• Survey Says: Thanks, Birth Control 2022: Nearly six in ten (57%) young adults think it will be harder to access birth control in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats (75%), Independents (56%) and Republicans (32%) are all concerned about access to birth control. 
• Everyone Loves Birth Control: Birth control is directly linked to a wide array of benefits to women, men, children, and society, including fewer unplanned pregnancies. This brief is regularly updated with the latest data. 

Factsheets and Briefs

***Updated Jan 2025*** State Actions to Expand Contraceptive Coverage: Since 2014, nearly a third of states have undertaken efforts to expand contraceptive access by mandating that health insurance plans cover the full range of contraceptive methods without cost-sharing and with limits on utilization controls. 

***Updated Jan 2025*** Extended Supply of Contraception: Twenty-eight states (including D.C.) require insurers to increase the number of months for which they cover prescription contraceptives at one time. This fact sheet offers details on the laws in each of those states. 

Birth Control 101: Understand why everyone needs access to the full range of FDA approved methods of birth control.

Contraceptive Deserts 101: Understand the basics about our birth control deserts and how to communicate their significance.

Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Birth Control: Over the last few years there has been a growing interest in expanding the authority of pharmacists to directly prescribe and dispense some hormonal birth control methods. This fact sheet includes an overview of the policy, including benefits and implementation considerations, and a table summarizing policies in the 24 states that allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control. Also see our state-specific pharmacist prescribing factsheets. 

Sample Op-Eds on State Contraceptive Landscapes: Use these state-specific sample op-eds/blogs to raise attention on the issues and solutions in your state. More states will be available in the near future. 

Introducing the Advancing Contraceptive Access Toolkit: A recording a webinar with Power to Decide and their partners, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and R Street Institute. This webinar walked attendees through the digital toolkit to introduce them to the various resources contained inside.

External Resources:

Pharmacists Prescribing

• Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity: Pharmacist Prescribing of Hormonal Contraception - This research brief describes the pharmacist workforce prescribing contraception in 12 states that had authorized pharmacist prescribing as of 2019.
• Manatt: Implementing Pharmacist Contraceptive Prescribing, a playbook for states and stakeholders. 
• R Street: Fact sheet and webinar highlight evidence and bipartisan support for pharmacist-prescribed birth control, plus our blog on 5 key takeaways from the webinar. 
• Pharmacists Provide Expanded Access to Safe, Essential Birth Control - This article from Arnold Ventures discusses new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Network Open that finds pharmacist-prescribed birth control is helping close the gap for young and uninsured women. 
• Birth Control Pharmacist Research Round-Up - Includes research on pharmacist prescribing, covering interest and attitudes among pharmacists, providers, and the public; implementation and experiences; outcomes and cost-savings, and more. 
• R-Street Virtual Panel Recording - Bipartisan Solutions for Birth Control Access
• 2020 State Forum Recording on Pharmacist Birth Control Services -  Birth Control Pharmacist and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) hosted the second States Forum on Pharmacist Birth Control Services virtually on April 13, 2020.

Extended Supply

• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control

Miscellaneous

• FDA: Birth Control Chart
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health: Position Statement: Expanding Access to Hormonal Contraception
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Committee Opinion on Over-the-Counter Access to Hormonal Contraception
• R-Street: New Contraceptive Toolkit Offers Clear Information During Uncertain Times - This blog post provides an overview of the toolkit and how to use it.