Women Shouldn’t Get a Bill for an IUD—but Sometimes They Do

by Shefali Luthra & Kaiser Health News - Rewire News Group
February 11, 2020

“After a few months on daily contraceptive pills, Erica M. wanted something more reliable. She wanted an intrauterine device (IUD), a form of long-acting reversible contraception that doctors call one of the most effective forms of birth control. (Erica’s last name has been withheld due to privacy concerns.)

It shouldn’t have been a problem. Erica, 23 at the time, had insurance through work. Under the Affordable Care Act, most health plans must cover all methods of birth control without any cost sharing. In fact, the birth control pills she was using were fully covered—she paid nothing out-of-pocket.

But a few weeks after her June 2018 appointment, she found herself on the receiving end of an IUD bill for about $1,900. On her $9-an-hour income, that expense simply wasn’t feasible.

“I never got any indication that it wouldn’t be covered,” she said. “I found out after the fact, obviously too late to do anything about it.”

“In all likelihood, most women probably won’t get a bill for IUD insertion or a birth control prescription. Data compiled by the Health Care Cost Institute, an independent research group funded by insurers, suggested that in 2017 fewer than 5 percent of women had an out-of-pocket bill for the insertion.

Nevertheless, “there are definitely women out there who are still being billed inappropriately,” Becker said.”

”From 2008 to 2017, the average payout for a Paragard copper IUD jumped from $420 to $818. In 2017, the top 90th percentile of private plans paid about $980 for the copper IUD; the bottom 10th paid $710.”

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