More people in Idaho can now get prescription birth control for up to six months at a time.
In 2024, the Idaho Legislature passed a new statute by a slim margin.
The law, which was passed through Senate Bill 1234, mandates that insurance companies provide health plans with six months of prescription contraceptive coverage beginning on January 1.
During the discussion, Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat from Boise and the bill’s author, stated that the new law will facilitate access to birth control for women who are only able to obtain a one- or three-month supply through insurance.
“At a time when our harsh, conflicting reproductive rights laws have resulted in pregnant women being airlifted to Utah and more than 22% of our OBGYNs fleeing the state, this policy represents a significant step forward in supporting Idahoans’ health, economic stability, and autonomy,” Wintrow wrote in a column published Thursday in the Idaho Statesman.
According to a 2022 poll conducted by KFF, a health policy research firm that was formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, one-third of female contraception users skipped their next dose because they were unable to receive their next supply in time.
This is the sixth time a law of this kind has passed the Capitol, according to Wintrow, who has stated that she has tried to pass identical legislation three times. The law was approved by the Senate by three votes and the House by one vote last year.
According to the measure, insurance companies are not required to pay for emergency contraception or drugs that cause abortions.
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