Women in Oregon will be able to get 12-month birth control prescriptions under House Bill 3343, which passed the House 55-2 this afternoon.
HB 3343 would require that all health insurance providers, whether private or state, must reimburse prescription contraception for up to a full 12 months and that pharmacies dispense contraception for a full 12 months, unless a request is made by a patient for a shorter length of time.
The bill also includes a 3-month trial period for the first dispensing of the contraceptive and makes all following dispensing of the same contraceptive eligible for 12-month dispensing.
Currently, many insurers only provide reimbursement for 30 or 90 days of birth control at a time, despite a prescription written for a longer duration of time.
“Prescriptive contraceptives are an incredible resource, but they only work if they’re taken consistently,” says Rep. Jessica Vega Pederson (D-Portland), the bill’s carrier. “We know that one important way to make that happen is by ensuring that women have access to 12 continuous months of birth control.”
“When a woman has the ability to plan if and when to have children, it’s beneficial to both her and to the state of Oregon,” Rep. Vega Pederson added.
A recent study revealed that the rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion decrease significantly when women receive a 1-year supply of oral contraceptives, instead of being prescribed 1- or 3-month supplies.
Researchers observed a 30% reduction in the odds of pregnancy and a 46% decrease in the odds of an abortion in women given a 1-year supply of birth control pills at a clinic vs. women who received the standard prescriptions for 1- or 3-month supplies.
The researchers speculate that a larger supply of oral contraceptive pills may allow more consistent use, since women need to make fewer visits to a clinic or pharmacy for their next supply.
The 12-month birth control prescription bill now heads to the Senate.
