Strengthening Women’s Health Access: Medicaid and Family Planning

An estimated 2 million unplanned pregnancies are prevented each year due to family planning services obtained through Title X, Medicaid, and other publicly funded programs. Expanded access to contraception produces many economic benefits for women, such as bolstering educational attainment, labor force participation, and earnings. Affordable access to contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and oral contraceptive pills, is proven to result in fewer unintentional pregnancies and significant cost savings to the health care system.

Experts say that ongoing restrictions on reproductive health care may reduce contraceptive use, leading to more unplanned births and exacerbating health inequities. This webinar will explore women’s health access, focusing on the impact of Medicaid and family planning. Speakers will discuss:

• The impact of contraception on childbearing outcomes and women’s economic status.
• Medicaid’s role in providing LARCs to prevent unplanned pregnancies and fill postpartum care gaps.
• A state’s perspective on strengthening family planning programs, including expanding access to contraception.