Barriers to Birth Control Access Still Exist Across the Country

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(Newswire.net — March 8, 2020) — 

One of the major public health issues today is access to resources for reproductive health. There has been a lot of discussion on the availability of birth control across the country for women everywhere. Even though there have been a lot of improvements in this area, there are still people who lack access to healthcare for reproductive issues. It is important to address these barriers for the benefit of people everywhere.

One of the biggest barriers is the shortage of healthcare providers who are willing to see people who are either uninsured or underinsured. The vast majority of people end up getting healthcare through their employer; however, not everyone is able to get a job. If someone is not able to get a job, they might have trouble getting health insurance. This means that they either end up on government insurance, such as Medicaid, or go without health insurance. Because not all doctors take Medicaid, these people might not have access to birth control.

Even for people who have health insurance, they might not have coverage for birth control. There have been a lot of debates surrounding the issue of whether or not an employer has to provide coverage for birth control. Some employers are morally opposed to providing coverage for birth control including the daily pill, IUDs, Nexplanon, and even the morning after pill. As a result, people might have health insurance that won’t reimburse the cost of birth control services. This is a major issue that has been taken up by the courts in the past.

Finally, another major issue is simply a shortage of birth control resources. There has been a lack of research in the field of birth control recently due to government regulations. This means that many people end up with options that aren’t going to work for them. Fortunately, the stigma surrounding birth control is starting to lift. This means that research is progressing. There is even a male birth control shot that might reach the open market sometime in the near future. This provides couples everywhere with a new alternative that might work for them.

These are only a few of the many barriers that exist for birth control. It is important for everyone to understand these barriers and how they can be lowered. When people have access to reliable birth control options, the research shows that this benefits people everywhere. It will be interesting to see how governments, organizations, and people respond to these barriers in the future.