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White House Proposes Free Over-the-Counter Birth Control Under Private Insurance

Date
2024 年 10 月 22 日
Reading Time
1.7mins
Category

Listen & Read

The Biden administration is making strides in expanding access to affordable birth control for individuals with private health insurance. The recent proposal put forth by the White House aims to mandate that health plans cover over-the-counter birth control options, including daily pills, emergency contraceptives, and condoms. This initiative is a significant step towards making essential contraceptives more accessible to women of reproductive age.

According to a report from *The Washington Post*, the proposal not only includes traditional prescription contraceptives but also extends to over-the-counter products like condoms, spermicide, and emergency contraception. The administration emphasizes the importance of informing consumers about this coverage and removing the necessity for a prescription, highlighting the need to address the high out-of-pocket costs associated with emergency contraception.

This monumental move is framed as the most substantial expansion of contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) since 2012, benefiting an estimated 52 million women. By eliminating out-of-pocket costs for most Americans seeking birth control, the proposal holds the potential to positively impact access and affordability for a wide range of contraceptive methods.

Moreover, the proposal is seen as a response to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, underlining the administration's commitment to enhancing women's healthcare access. The proposed rule not only covers familiar contraceptives like condoms and birth control pills but also introduces coverage for a new over-the-counter birth control pill called Opill.

Organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have voiced support for the initiative, pointing out that copays can often pose a barrier to birth control access for many individuals. By requiring private insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control methods at no cost to the patient, the rule seeks to address disparities in contraceptive accessibility and affordability.

In conclusion, the White House's proposal for free over-the-counter birth control under private insurance showcases a commitment to improving reproductive healthcare access and affordability for millions of individuals. This progressive step towards expanding coverage under the ACA signifies a significant advancement in promoting reproductive rights and ensuring comprehensive healthcare for all.

拜登政府正在努力擴大私人健康保險持有人獲得負擔得起避孕措施的渠道。白宮最近提出的建議旨在要求健康計畫覆蓋非處方避孕選擇,包括每日避孕丸、緊急避孕措施和避孕套。這個倡議對於讓生育年齡的婦女更容易取得至關重要的避孕措施是一個重要的一步。

據《華盛頓郵報》報導,這項提案不僅包括傳統處方避孕藥,還包括避孕套、殺精劑和緊急避孕等非處方產品。政府強調了告知消費者這一覆蓋範圍的重要性,並取消了處方的必要性,突顯了有必要解決與緊急避孕相關的高額自付費用。

這一重大舉措被標榜為自2012年《平價醫療法案》(ACA)實施以來避孕覆蓋範圍最大的擴張,使大約5200萬婦女受益。通過為大多數尋求避孕的美國人消除自付費用,這一提案有望對各種避孕方法的取得和負擔能力產生積極影響。

此外,這項提案被視為對最近美國最高法院推翻《羅伊訴韋德案》的回應,突顯了政府加強婦女醫療保健訪問權的承諾。這一倡議不僅涵蓋了常見的避孕產品,如避孕套和避孕藥片,還引入了一種新的非處方避孕藥片Opill的覆蓋。

像美國婦產科醫師學院這樣的組織支持這一倡議,指出自付額通常會成為許多人避孕訪問的障礙。通過要求私人保險公司免費為非處方避孕方法提供覆蓋,該規則旨在解決避孕工具可及性和負擔能力的差距。

總之,白宮提議在私人保險下免費提供非處方避孕措施展示了改善數百萬人的生殖保健訪問權和負擔能力的承諾。這一在《平價醫療法案》下擴大覆蓋範圍的進步舉措標誌著在促進生殖權利和確保全面醫療保健方面的重大進展。

Vocabulary

mandate

中文

要求

contraceptives

中文

避孕藥物

accessibility

中文

可及性

affordability

中文

負擔能力

overturning

中文

推翻

Comprehension

After reading the article, answer the following questions      * click “+” Button to show reference answer

The main aim of the recent proposal put forth by the White House is to mandate that health plans cover over-the-counter birth control options, making essential contraceptives more accessible to women of reproductive age.
The recent proposal is expected to benefit individuals seeking birth control by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for most Americans, positively impacting access and affordability for a wide range of contraceptive methods.
The recent proposed rule for free over-the-counter birth control is driven by the need to address the high out-of-pocket costs associated with emergency contraception and the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.
The recent proposal is considered a significant advancement in promoting reproductive rights due to its potential to improve reproductive healthcare access and affordability for millions of individuals.