R Street Institute

R Sheets Competition Policy

R Sheet on Pharmacy Access to Contraception in Iowa

by Courtney Joslin AND Marc Hyden
May 13, 2019
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Key Points

Many women have limited access to contraception.
Over 40 percent of pregnancies in Iowa are unintended.
Taxpayers have spent over $175 million to cover the medical costs associated with unintended pregnancies.
Allowing pharmacy access has no adverse fiscal impact on the Board of Pharmacy or the state.
Iowa should consider a pharmacy access model to provide Iowans better access to contraception.

In the last several years, 10 states and the District of Columbia have passed pharmacy access bills, which allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception to women. These efforts expand the scope of practice for pharmacists and increase access to birth control for women—especially those who may not have a regular physician or find that an appointment is too costly. Such advances are critical to the prevention of unintended pregnancies.

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