Women see large decrease in out-of-pocket spending for birth control with ACA

Out-of-pocket spending for most birth control methods declined significantly after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began requiring that private health insurance plans cover prescription contraceptives at no cost to women, according to new research. The study, from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, found that the average percentages of out-of-pocket spending for oral contraceptive prescriptions and intrauterine device insertions by women using these methods fell 20 percentage points after implementation of the ACA mandate.