Pennsylvania hospitals will be fully reimbursed for providing long-term birth control to Medicaid patients who have just given birth, effective Dec. 1, The Inquirer reports.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's (D) administration announced the change Monday with hopes that increased used of long-term birth control like intrauterine devices will curb unintended pregnancy in Medicaid-eligible women, ultimately reducing costs.
Medicaid agencies and most commercial health plans traditionally cover all labor and delivery costs — including long-term contraceptive implants — with a bundled payment. Because the payment does not always cover the full price associated with long-term birth control, hospitals can choose to not provide the service immediately following birth, according to the report.
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas said in a prepared statement to The Inquirer the "policy change should help to increase usage by 6 percent and help to prevent unintended pregnancies — saving millions of dollars."