100 Years Of Birth Control

July 18, 2014 8:07 PM

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One of the most buzzed about parts of the Affordable Care Act is the so-called contraceptive mandate, which requires that most private health insurance plans cover birth control without a co-pay or deductible. In other words, for free. There are exceptions. Certain plans have been grandfathered in, or given more time before they have to adhere to the change. Religious employers are also exempt. And while the mandate requires that the full range of FDA-approved prescription contraceptives be covered, it does not require that all brands be covered, so you might have to switch to a generic drug in order to get your contraception for free. Planned Parenthood recommends calling the member services number on the back of your insurance card to talk about what is covered by your plan.

The two-thirds of women who use contraception consistently and correctly account for just 5 percent of unintended pregnancies, the Guttmacher Institute reports. On the other hand, the 19 percent of women who use birth control inconsistently account for a whopping 43 percent of all unintended pregnan...