Irish women aged 17-25 will be eligible for free contraception from this September, after Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly this week announced the signing into law of the Health Act 2022.
Minister Donnelly recently brought the Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas and it successfully passed at all stages of the Dail and the Seanad last week with cross-party support and it was signed into law on Thursday by President Michael D Higgins. Meanwhile, The Health Act 2022 also abolishes in-patient charges for children under 16 in all public hospitals.
According to the Government, the two measures are expected to come into effect by early September. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly welcomed the approval of the new bill, saying: "Free contraception is a cost-effective measure, reducing both crisis pregnancy and termination of pregnancy rates.
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He said: "Given that the costs of prescription contraception are typically faced by women, the scheme will impact positively on gender equity, reducing costs for women, but also benefitting their partners and families, starting with women aged 17-25.
"In the context of current cost-of-living challenges, I am delighted to be able to introduce these 2 significant measures aimed at alleviating cost pressures for individuals and families when seeking to access healthcare," added Minister Donnelly. Those with full eligibility for a medical card already have access to most forms of contraception at a minimal cost while those with a GP visit card are supported to some extent.
The Drugs Payment Scheme covers the cost of prescription items, including LARCs, above a limit of €80 per month. The Government said it recognised that the cost of accessing contraception, particularly for those who may still be dependent on parents or guardians or who may be just above the means tested thresholds for the medical card and GP Visit cards, "may impose a significant barrier to access".
A statement from the government acknowledged that: “Costs for the Pill and similar repeat prescription contraceptives can therefore be estimated at €65-100 every six months, and the initial costs of long-acting reversible contraception, including consultation, purchase of the device and fitting, typically range from €250-€320. If the costs of removal are also included, the costs rise to €340-€470.”
The contraception scheme will cover the full cost of prescription contraception, including the cost of:
- necessary consultations with medical professionals to discuss suitable contraception options with individual patients and to enable prescription of same
- fitting and/or removal of various types of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs) plus any necessary checks, by medical professionals certified to fit/remove same
- providing the wide range of contraceptive options currently available to GMS (medical) card holders, which will also be available through this scheme, including contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring, and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception
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