Contraceptive services will soon be free for all privately-insured Virginians under a new law starting in 2027.
The Contraceptive Equity Act, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-Fairfax), will require insurers to cover a broader range of birth control methods without patients having to pay out-of-pocket.
That includes some over-the-counter options like condoms and birth control pills, even without a prescription.
The bill also limits how insurers can charge for contraception. At least one option in each category of birth control would have no out-of-pocket costs. If a doctor determines additional methods are medically necessary, those options would also be covered without additional charges.
“What it does is the bill addresses cost barriers to contraceptive access and health care equity by eliminating burdensome co-pays, cost sharing, reimbursement requirements and coverage delays,” said Tarina Keene from reproductive advocacy group REPRO Rising.
The upcoming law also allows patients to request coverage for a specific contraceptive that may not be a plan’s preferred option.
Under an amendment from Gov. Abigail Spanberger, patients could fill out a form at a pharmacy to seek coverage for a specific drug or service without additional cost, rather than going through a longer approval process.
The provision would not apply to governmental insurance plans such as Medicaid or Medicare, or to nonrenewable policies that last less than six months.
The legislation comes as Virginia pushes for broader protections for reproductive health. Virginia voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine reproductive freedom this November.
Keene said expanding access to contraception addresses a separate but related issue: whether patients can actually obtain care, not just have the legal right to it.
“We are hoping to make sure that people understand that they can actually go to their local pharmacy to access care,” Keene said.
Keene said there could still be challenges with how the law plays out in practice.
She said the success of the policy will depend on whether doctors, pharmacists and insurers consistently follow the new requirements and provide accurate information to patients, particularly in “contraceptive deserts” in parts of Virginia where there may not be a pharmacy or a robust medical community.
