“British Columbia’s decision last year to make contraception free led to a spike in the number of women choosing long-acting options, such as intrauterine devices, that are better than the pill at preventing unwanted pregnancies, new data show.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have been tracking how the policy, which kicked in April 1, 2023, is influencing the number and type of birth-control products dispensed across the province.
They noted a significant shift to IUDs, implants and other types of long-acting birth control as soon as those products, which can cost as much as $400 upfront, became 100 per cent publicly funded.
“It’s a really substantial change, more than we really thought we might find and more than we generally see for cost-sharing policy changes in other kinds of clinical areas,” said Laura Schummers, a reproductive epidemiologist and assistant professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences at UBC.”
Read more on UBC research shows increase in birth-control use after province made contraception free via North Shore News.
Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission 