Silence is Not an Option As Lawmakers Threaten to End Copay-Free Birth Control

MADISON, Wis. — Major reforms included in the Affordable Care Act resulted in an end to discrimination against women in health care. Now, over 62 million Americans get their birth control copay free. To help educate lawmakers about what equality in health care means for families, One Wisconsin Institute and other state partners are collecting stories about what keeping birth control copay free means for Wisconsinites.

“Staying silent when some lawmakers want to take us back to the days when insurance companies and employers were allowed to discriminate against women in health care is not an option,” said One Wisconsin Institute Program Director Analiese Eicher.

She continued “So we’re reaching out to people across the state and asking them to share their stories to help educate lawmakers about what a difference copay free birth control is making for Wisconsin families.”

Eicher said people who want to share their stories can do so online at keepbcfreewi.com.

In 2012, the birth control benefit was included in the Affordable Care Act, establishing birth control as preventive healthcare. This made birth control and all other preventive healthcare services copay free. Today, over 62 million Americans are able to get copay free birth control, saving them and their families $1.4 billion in just one year.

One Wisconsin Institute is part of a coalition of state groups including NOW Madison and NOW Wisconsin, BLOC, the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health and the NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Foundation who are working to raise awareness about the benefits of copay free birth control.