Birth Control May Soon be Covered by Insurance Companies

A panel of medical experts made a recommendation to the US Department of Health Tuesday, saying that all insurance plans should legally be required to cover the cost of birth control. One question:  Why has this taken so long?

Over half of all prescriptions for Viagra written since the drug's release in 1998 have been covered by insurance, according to ABC. But the cost of most forms of contraception is absorbed by consumers. Does that make any sense whatsoever?

Insurance providers argue that covering contraception will boost insurance premiums. However, this study, by the Guttmach Institure, estimates that unplanned pregnancies cost taxpayers $11.1 billion per year. That's billion, with a "B".

The Institute of Medicine panel was asked by the Obama administration to recommend which preventative health services all insurance plans should fully cover under the Affordable Care Act. In addition to covering birth control, the IOM suggested in its report that health insurers pay for HPV testing, contraceptive and lactation counseling, HIV screening and breast-feeding equipment.

[News Wire]