Governor JB Pritzker signed HB 0135 into law Thursday, granting Illinoisans access to birth control over the counter.
The legislation removes barriers to care that may have previously prevented residents from accessing hormonal contraception, including lack of access to a physician willing to prescribe birth control. It also expands Medicaid to cover over-the-counter birth control costs for plans that currently cover physician-prescribed birth control. Under the new law, pharmacists are required to receive training on how to counsel individuals on the variety of birth control options available to them.
“This legislation that I’m signing into law today makes Illinois one of the first states in the Midwest to provide birth control over the counter, making contraceptives all the more accessible and affordable in our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In 2019, when I signed the Reproductive Health Act into law, I said that in Illinois we guarantee as a fundamental right, a woman’s right to choose. Today, we take yet another stand to fulfill that promise.”
Illinois is the second state in the Midwest to offer access to birth control over the counter.
To ensure the price of contraception remains feasible, HB 0135 includes mandates for insurance policies regulated by the State to cover birth control that is dispensed by a pharmacist.
“HB135 is a landmark piece of legislation in our state. By increasing access to contraception for the women of Illinois, we reinforce our state as one that prioritizes women’s health,” said Dr. Michelle Brown, OB-GYN, Northwestern University. “Contraceptive access through pharmacists is key to allowing women to safely exercise authority over their reproductive lives, and by joining 16 other states in this initiative, we move one step closer to the goal of true over-the-counter contraception.”
HB 0135 is effective January 1, 2022. Provisions effecting the Insurance Code are effective January 1, 2023.
