Biden-Harris Administration Announces Rule to Expand Access to Birth Control Following Calls from the Democratic Women’s Caucus

CONTACT: Lizzie Johnson, (202)-590-6073, lizzie.johnson@mail.house.gov (DWC)

Today, Monday, October 21, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Chair Lois Frankel (FL-22) issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration announced a new proposed rule that would significantly expand access to no-cost birth control under the Affordable Care Act:

“The Biden-Harris Administration has taken an extraordinary step to ensure all women can access the birth control that works best for them by requiring health plans to cover, without cost-sharing, every unique FDA-approved contraceptive product or its generic equivalent both over the counter and with a prescription,” said DWC Chair Frankel. “With access to abortion under attack by extreme MAGA Republicans, it is more important than ever that birth control is accessible and affordable.”

The DWC has led the charge in Congress pushing for legislation and executive action to expand and protect access to birth control. In March of 2023, the DWC led a letter pushing the Biden-Harris Administration to explicitly require health plans to cover, without cost-sharing, every unique FDA-approved contraceptive product or its generic equivalent, including over-the-counter birth control, which today’s proposed rule implements. In February 2024, the DWC led over 150 House and Senate Democrats in urging health insurers to adopt this standard. In December 2023, DWC led over 120 House Democrats  in urging the Biden-Harris administration to require health insurance plans to fully cover over-the-counter contraceptives at no cost to the patient and without a prescription.

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