Department of Public Health Promotes ACCESS Law Through Public Awareness Campaign

 Department of Public Health Promotes ACCESS Law Through Public Awareness Campaign

 

Campaign aims to increase awareness of contraception coverage available under ACCESS law

 

BOSTON (October 21, 2022) — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced an expansion of its statewide public information campaign to raise awareness of the birth control benefits available under the Act Relative to Advancing Contraceptive Coverage and Economic Security in our State (ACCESS) law. The campaign was launched this summer with a focus on educating residents, and new elements of the campaign announced today focus on educating and training pharmacists and other professionals to ensure they share relevant information about the law with patients and members.

 

The ACCESS law enacted in 2017 enables eligible individuals to receive:

 

• A year’s supply of no-cost birth control — including the pill, patches, rings, or injectable birth control — with just one visit to the pharmacy.
• Emergency contraception (like Plan B) at no cost with a prescription from a clinician.

To be eligible, individuals must be covered by a health insurance plan subject to Massachusetts law, including MassHealth, plans purchased on the MA Health Connector, or the MA Group Insurance Commission. Find out if you are covered.

 

“The ACCESS law represented an important step in the Commonwealth’s efforts to protect women’s reproductive health care services, and we are pleased to be running this campaign to remind residents about the benefits of this law,” said Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke. “Our campaign also focuses on health care providers to ensure they are aware of the ACCESS law and its benefits for their patients.”

 

DPH, in collaboration with the MGH Institute of Health Professions, has launched an ACCESS online training geared specifically to prescribers, pharmacists, and insurers who may not be fully aware of the law and its benefits for their patients and members. The training is available at https://learnmore.mghihp.edu/access and offers continuing education credits.

 

Campaign research earlier this year found that 86 percent of eligible individuals surveyed are interested in receiving a 12-month supply of birth control at one time, but only half were aware of the option. The new campaign outlines details about the law and its benefits, as well as guidance for learning about eligibility.

 

The campaign includes a dedicated website, mass.gov/BirthControl, and is being promoted through social media and other online ads, posters, and flyers in English and Spanish.

 

To learn more about affordable birth control and the ACCESS law, visit mass.gov/BirthControl.