Article

Data Trends 2022: Contraception

Publish date: August 11, 2022

Congress has recently made strides in eliminating barriers to contraception for the growing population of female veterans who are in their childbearing years. The Access to Contraception Expansion (ACE) Veterans Act was introduced to both the Senate and the House in 2021, proposing that patients receiving prescription contraception in the VA be allowed to request full year supplies. Also in 2021, the House passed the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act, which would eliminate copays charged to veterans for contraception. While these bills have yet to pass into law, they represent important first steps in addressing gaps in reproductive care for veterans.^1-4

Access to oral contraception in the VA⁵
Types of contraception used by veterans⁷
To enhance contraceptive access, the Pittsburgh and Puget Sound VA locations began Contraception on Demand, which allowed pharmacists to prescribe contraception and to offer veterans 12-month contraceptive supplies at a single fill. Pharmacists were enabled to prescribe short-acting prescription methods (contraceptive pill, patch, ring, and injection) via telephone consults and provide counseling and referrals for long-acting reversible contraception (LARC: IUDs and implants). This program provided veterans with a safe and convenient way to receive contraception while facilitating access to 12-month supplies.⁸

References

H.R. 239 – Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act. Updated July 12, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/239
H.R. 3643 – ACE Veterans Act. Updated September 7, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3643
S. 1915 – ACE Veterans Act. Updated May 27, 2021. Accessed May 12, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1915
Sourcebook: Women Veterans in the Veterans Health Administration. Volume 4. US Department of Veterans Affairs. February 2018. Accessed March 15, 2022. https://www.womenshealth.va.gov/WOMENSHEALTH/docs/WHS_Sourcebook_Vol-IV_508c.pdf
Borrero S, Zhao X, Mor MK, Schwarz EB, Good CB, Gellad WF. Adherence to hormonal contraception among women veterans: differences by race/ethnicity and contraceptive supply. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013;209(2):103.e1-11. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2013.03.024
Judge-Golden CP, Smith KJ, Mor MK, Borreo S. Financial implications of 12-month dispensing or oral contraceptive pills in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(9):1201-1208. http://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.1678
Borrero S, Callegari LS, Zhao X, et al. Unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use among women veterans: the ECUUN study. J Gen Intern Med. 2017;32(8):900-908. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-017-4049-3
Quinn DA, Chin J, Callegari LS, et al. (April 2022). Contraception on Demand in VA: A demonstration project. Oral presentation at Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL

Data Trends 2022: Contraception

References

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