Maryland Law Easing Access to Birth Control to Take Effect

Annapolis, Md. — A Maryland law intended to expand and protect access to birth control that was passed last year will take effect next week.

The Baltimore Sun reports that insurers must provide most forms of contraception, including vasectomies, with no out-of-pocket costs to patients starting Jan. 1. Insurers must also pay for over-the-counter birth control, including the morning-after pill.

Women will be able to obtain birth control pills and other contraception in six-month doses, as opposed to on a monthly basis. Implants and intrauterine devices will no longer require pre-authorization form insurance companies.

The bill was passed and signed in 2016, but implementation was delayed to give insurers time to prepare. The law only applies to insurers regulated by the state.