Biden announces plans for free contraception without a prescription

“This new measure would help ensure millions of women with private health insurance have access to the free contraceptives they need,” Biden said in a statement.

The proposed rule would expand free contraceptive coverage to 52 million women of childbearing age with private health insurance, the White House said.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris called the proposal in a statement the “largest expansion of contraceptive coverage in more than a decade.”

The proposal must go through a 60-day public comment period before it is final.

Current U.S. health law requires most insurance plans to cover contraceptives for free, but allows them to require a prescription.

The proposal would expand coverage to include over-the-counter products, including emergency contraceptives.

Following a 2022 Supreme Court decision that struck down the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats have positioned themselves as the party of reproductive rights. Polls show a majority of Americans support access to abortion.