| Nearly 1/2 of all births in Wisconsin were paid for by the state's Medicaid program in 2005 |
|  |  | | | Contraceptive use facilitates better spacing of pregnancies, which leads to healthier outcomes, fewer unintended pregnancies, and fewer abortions. Contraceptives can be expensive, and without insurance coverage, many women are forced to either forgo using contraceptives completely or to use less effective methods. |
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| • Contraceptives are the most widely used prescription drugs by women of reproductive age, but they are the only prescription drug benefit routinely excluded by insurers.
• 60 million women in the U.S. are currently in their childbearing years, age 15 to 44 on average; 42 million (or 7 out of every 10) are sexually active and do not wish to become pregnant.
• A woman who wants two children (the average in the U.S.) will have to use contraception for more than two decades of her life.
• One of the major barriers to universal contraceptive access is the high cost. Costs for supplies alone can run approximately $360 per year for oral contraceptives; $180 per year for Depo-Provera; $450 for Norplant; and $240 for an IUD.
• Women pay 68% more than men do in out-of-pocket health care costs. Much of these costs are for reproductive health care, including prescription contraceptives.
• Contraceptive Equity legislation would require equitable coverage of prescription contraceptives and devices, and contraceptive services under health plans. |
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