Study Confirms Anecdotal Evidence That Demand For Long-Acting Birth Control Spiked In Weeks After Trump Was Elected
The study found a 21.6 percent increase in the insertion rates of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods among women ages 18-45 in the 30 days after President Donald Trump was elected. “My slots would be booked with women wanting to get IUDs,” Dr. Aparna Sridhar told The New York Times. “They would specifically state that they are getting an IUD because of the political changes they are witnessing.”
The New York Times:
Demand For Long-Acting Birth Control Rose After Trump’s Election Amid Insurance Concerns, Study Shows
In the days after President Trump was elected, some women saw his victory as reason to worry: Would he fulfill his campaign promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act? And if so, would it eventually become harder and costlier to obtain birth control? News organizations sounded the alarm: “Get an IUD Before It’s Too Late,” a Daily Beast headline warned. “Here’s Why Everyone Is Saying to Get an IUD Today,” said a New York Magazine piece. (Caron, 2/4)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Trump’s Health Care Threats Led To A Boom In Long-Term Birth Control
Trump’s vow to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act unnerved women who feared losing an important ACA benefit — access to all forms of birth control with no out-of-pocket costs. Days after the election, social media lit up with exhortations to get an IUD. That high-cost option works for five to 12 years, potentially enough to outlast Trump’s presidency. For the new analysis, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt University used data from commercial health plans covering about 3.4 million women ages 17 to 45. (McCullough, 2/4)
Boston Globe:
President Trump’s Election Set Off A Birth Control Boom
While the rate changed little before and after Nov. 8 in 2015, the 2016 rate changed from 13.4 per 100,000 women before the election to 16.3 per 100,000 women afterward — a 21.6 percent increase. That means an additional 2.1 insertions per 100,000 women per day after the election or, if extrapolated to the 33 million women of reproductive age who have employer-sponsored health insurance, an additional 700 insertions per day — or 21,000 in a month. “I was and am quite impressed by those numbers,” said Pace. “That’s 21,000 additional IUDs or implants that we can associate with the election.” (Ebbert, 2/5)
The Hill:
Demand For Certain Forms Of Contraception Increased After Trump's Election: Study
The authors of the study said the increase could be attributed to fears that Trump would follow through on his campaign promise to repeal ObamaCare, which requires employers cover 18 types of contraception in their insurance plans with no copays for beneficiaries. The cost of an IUD without insurance coverage can range from $500 to $1,000, according to Planned Parenthood. (Hellmann, 2/4)
Stat:
Long-Acting Contraceptive Use Jumped Right After The 2016 Election
But the findings come with several big caveats. The study doesn’t prove that the election caused the uptick in LARCs. The researchers only looked at women who had been enrolled in commercial insurance for at least a year, so the results can’t be applied to women with public health coverage, no health insurance, or newly commercially insured women. It also only looked at the month following the election. That means the study might not capture women who sought LARCs after the election, but hadn’t yet received one a month after the election. (Thielking, 2/4)
WBUR:
More Than 20,000 Women Rushed To Get IUDs Right After Trump Elected, Study Finds
An edited Q&A with the study's lead author, Dr. Lydia Pace of Brigham and Women's Hospital. (Goldberg, 2/4)
In other women's health news —
The Hill:
Senate Dems Block Sasse Measure Meant To Respond To Virginia Bill
Senate Democrats blocked abortion-related legislation on Monday night in the wake of a political firestorm sparked by a Virginia abortion-rights bill last week. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) tried to pass legislation that penalizes doctors who fail to "exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion." (Carney, 2/4)
Columbus Dispatch:
Fine Fight Continues Over Toledo's Last Abortion Clinic
Ohio’s health director increased the fine on a Toledo’s last abortion clinic to $15,000 from $3,000 for safety and procedural violations after a patient with potential post-abortion complications was improperly transferred to a hospital in 2017. And Capital Care Network appealed to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas after the decision by state Health Director Lance Himes. (Prosser, 2/4)
