| In July 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States. But there was a catch: The medication was not free for most people. The White House is now proposing to broaden access to free birth control covered by private health insurance plans — a bid that surfaces one of Democrats’ most potent issues just over two weeks before Election Day, my colleague Carolyn Y. Johnson and I report. The administration is unveiling a proposed rule today that would mandate private health plans cover over-the-counter birth control — including daily pills, emergency contraceptives and condoms — without a prescription and at no cost. Democrats are focusing on reproductive health ahead of the election after abortion rights measures have had a winning streak at the ballot box. Vice President Kamala Harris has made reproductive rights a centerpiece of her campaign for the White House, and Democrats are banking on the issue to help the party not only defeat former president Donald Trump but also maintain control of the Senate and recapture the House. This November marks the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, fueling a seismic shift in the nation’s reproductive health landscape. Reproductive health advocates have said making contraception easily available is more important than ever in a post-Roe world where most abortions are banned in more than a dozen states. Prominent Democrats and reproductive rights advocates have urged the Biden administration to make over-the-counter birth control free. The details The Affordable Care Act mandates that insurance companies cover contraception at no cost. But plans are not required to cover items available over the counter unless the patient has a prescription. The rule seeks to change that, with Biden administration officials projecting that roughly 52 million women of reproductive age who are covered by private health plans would be able to get free birth control over the counter. One key question: How would such a proposal work in practice? Health plans could choose different ways to administer the plan, officials said, while adding that more details could come in a final rule. Some consumers may be able to get free birth control by picking it up in a store aisle and bringing it to the pharmacy counter. Officials didn’t rule out the possibility of consumers buying products and then seeking reimbursement from their health plans. The White House would also seek to expand the choice of birth control — currently, insurers are required to cover only one drug within each category of contraception. Under the proposal, insurers would have to cover all approved drugs, unless they have a therapeutic equivalent that is covered. The end result would be more brands of birth control pills and a wider selection of IUDs available for free. But will the administration actually finalize the rule? It will be a tough lift because the plan must undergo a 60-day comment period, and it often takes months to years for federal agencies to respond to comments and release a final plan. But a key administration official insists finalizing the rule in the coming months is possible. “We will work quickly to conclude it before the end of this administration,” Jennifer Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said in an interview. “The urgency is clear.” Read our full story here. | 
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