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.)

State Reproductive Health Access Policies: The living maps on this page show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception.

State Resources on Reproductive Well-Being: This is a one-stop-shop for Power to Decide's state-specific materials related to policy, federal funding, contraceptive landscape, and data. 

Key State Policies at a Glance: This fact sheet details policies that help to expand access to and information about contraception. 

Extended Supply of Contraception: Twenty-one states 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.

State Actions to Protect and Enhance the ACA's Contraceptive Coverage Provision: Federal guidelines require the majority of health insurance plans to cover at least one contraceptive for each of the 18 FDA approved methods, without copays or deductibles. This fact sheet details how some states have taken action to codify and/or expand upon the federal provision.

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 11 states that have passed this policy. We have also created an infographic of this information.

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. 

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.

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

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

Survey Says: Telehealth: Telehealth has proven to be a viable option for many people to obtain birth control. Telehealth can especially help overcome some of the common barriers associated to not being able to access contraception.

Survey Says: Telehealth and Income: The results of this survey result reflect a need to increase education so that everyone regardless of economic status can access contraception through telehealth.

State Responses to the Title X Domestic Gag Rule: Though some states impacted by the gag rule have provided their own general funds as a stopgap measure, it is not reasonable that states can or should be able to replace the federal funding that they have received over many years.

State-by-State Telehealth Policies (coming soon).

External Resources:

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

• 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 - Bipartisan Solutions for Birth Control Access (Virtual Panel Recording)
• 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
• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control
• Forbes: Telehealth Transforms How Women Get Birth Control
• Forbes: How Gaps In Telehealth Access Could Impact Reproductive Health

• 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.  

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. 

State Reproductive Health Access Policies: The living maps on this page show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception. 

State Resources on Reproductive Well-Being: This is a one-stop-shop for Power to Decide's state-specific materials related to policy, federal funding, contraceptive landscape, and data. 

Impacts of the Domestic Gag Rule: The domestic gag rule’s impact on birth control access is nothing short of catastrophic for people living on limited incomes. This fact sheet breaks down all of the impacts that the domestic gag rule has on women in the United States. 

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.

State Actions to Protect and Enhance the ACA's Contraceptive Coverage Provision: Federal guidelines require the majority of health insurance plans to cover at least one contraceptive for each of the 18 FDA approved methods, without copays or deductibles. This fact sheet details how some states have taken action to codify and/or expand upon the federal provision.

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 11 states that have passed this policy. We have also created an infographic of this information.

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. 

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. 

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.

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

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

Survey Says: Telehealth: Telehealth has proven to be a viable option for many people to obtain birth control. Telehealth can especially help overcome some of the common barriers associated to not being able to access contraception.

Survey Says: Telehealth and Income: The results of this survey result reflect a need to increase education so that everyone regardless of economic status can access contraception through telehealth.

State Responses to the Title X Domestic Gag Rule: Though some states impacted by the gag rule have provided their own general funds as a stopgap measure, it is not reasonable that states can or should be able to replace the federal funding that they have received over many years.

State-by-State Telehealth Policies (coming soon).

External Resources:

• 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.
• 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. 
• 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.
• 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
• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control
• Forbes: Telehealth Transforms How Women Get Birth Control
• Forbes: How Gaps In Telehealth Access Could Impact Reproductive Health

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.

State Reproductive Health Access Policies: The living maps on this page show the legislative details of three types of policies; extended supply of contraceptives, protecting contraceptive coverage, and pharmacist prescribing of contraception. 

State Resources on Reproductive Well-Being: This is a one-stop-shop for Power to Decide's state-specific materials related to policy, federal funding, contraceptive landscape, and data. 

Key State Policies at a Glance: This fact sheets details policies that help to expand access to and information about contraception.

Extended Supply of Contraception: Twenty-one states 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.

State Actions to Protect and Enhance the ACA's Contraceptive Coverage Provision: Federal guidelines require the majority of health insurance plans to cover at least one contraceptive for each of the 18 FDA approved methods, without copays or deductibles. This fact sheet details how some states have taken action to codify and/or expand upon the federal provision.

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 11 states that have passed this policy. We have also created an infographic of this information.

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. 

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.

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

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

Survey Says: Telehealth: Telehealth has proven to be a viable option for many people to obtain birth control. Telehealth can especially help overcome some of the common barriers associated to not being able to access contraception.

Survey Says: Telehealth and Income: The results of this survey result reflect a need to increase education so that everyone regardless of economic status can access contraception through telehealth.

State Responses to the Title X Domestic Gag Rule: Though some states impacted by the gag rule have provided their own general funds as a stopgap measure, it is not reasonable that states can or should be able to replace the federal funding that they have received over many years.

State-by-State Telehealth Policies (coming soon).

External Resources:

• 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.
• 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
• NY AG Press Release:  Attorney General James Demands Health Insurance Providers Obey the Law on Covering a 12-month Supply of Birth Control
• Forbes: Telehealth Transforms How Women Get Birth Control
• Forbes: How Gaps In Telehealth Access Could Impact Reproductive Health
• 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.