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The state of Massachusetts just announced an order that will allow people who use state healthcare to access free birth control and prenatal vitamins.
When it comes to birth control in particular, access is being directly threatened in numerous ways. This order represents removing one barrier.
Under this change, over-the-counter contraceptives can be dispensed in up to a 365-day supply by pharmacists to members of MassHealth (which provides healthcare benefits to eligible residents) and Health Safety Net (which provides assistance to uninsured or underinsured residents).
Healthy families start before pregnancy
Too often, when we think of ensuring healthy outcomes for families, we think about what happens after a mother becomes pregnant.
The reality? Access to birth control allows parents to make informed choices, considering economic, social, and health factors. That’s why birth control access isn’t just a women’s health issue, but a family planning issue as well. Creating pathways to birth control access is key to setting up families for success, especially as those pathways are being threatened in our post-Roe world — and making birth control free and easily accessible at a local pharmacy, plus allowing people to get large quantities at once can simplify access to birth control.
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Prenatal vitamin access is another key way we can make families healthier
Prenatal health begins before pregnancy, and prenatal vitamins are one of the keys to boosting the health of your pregnancy and baby. The reality is, though, that not enough people know prenatal vitamin use should start before you even begin trying to conceive — according to the Mayo Clinic, it's a good idea for women of reproductive age to take prenatal vitamins regularly. Prenatal vitamins contain folic acid, which helps prevent neural tube defects, and iron, which supports the development of the placenta and fetus. Ideally, these are in a mother’s system for at least three months before she conceives.
The reality, though, is that prenatal vitamins are pricey. For many women, it’s a real financial stretch to start taking prenatal vitamins for a full year, let alone throughout their reproductive years. Under this new order, MassHealth members and HSN patients are eligible to receive a 90-day supply of over-the-counter prenatal vitamins or multivitamins containing folic acid.
According to a press release announcing the order, this will help ensure that those who are capable of becoming pregnant, considering pregnancy, attempting to become pregnant, are pregnant, or nursing receive the essential nutrients needed.
Pharmacists who dispense prenatal vitamins will be required to counsel patients on how to use them
The effect of this is major. MassHealth currently covers 40 percent of all births in the state of Massachusetts
The world of women’s and maternal health is rife with issues. There’s a general lack of information available to women where their bodies and health are concerned, for starters. On top of that, there’s frequent medical gaslighting and a climate of underfunded and under-researched conditions that affect women. There’s a real accessibility gap at work, with women struggling to access information, treatment, and the tools they need to steer their own reproductive journeys.
Finances are just one piece of this, but it’s a crucial piece
And it's one that hardly gets any structural and systemic attention. This move is a step in the right direction, though: A way for women to take better control of their health, which in turn allows women to create healthier families.
“We’re working to make sure that everyone in Massachusetts has access to the health care tools they need to live their best lives,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh in a release announcing this order. "Now, MassHealth members can get prenatal vitamins and birth control pills for free, over-the-counter. Removing barriers like this is one of the simplest ways we can work toward better health outcomes for mothers and infants in our state.”
Zara Hanawalt is a freelance journalist and mom of twins. She's written for outlets like Parents, MarieClaire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Motherly, and many others. In her (admittedly limited!) free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, trying new restaurants, and traveling with her family.