STATEHOUSE — A pair of bills expanding and increasing Hoosier women’s access to contraceptives are now law, according to State Rep. Sharon Negele (R-Attica).
House Enrolled Act 1568, which was co-authored by Negele and recently ceremonially signed into law, allows pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills, patches and rings as long as the woman is 18 years or older and completes a self-screening.
“With this new law, we are providing Hoosier women, especially those who may be without a doctor or insurance, with access to contraception,” Negele said. “Allowing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives will expand access tremendously, and hopefully lead to less unwanted pregnancies.”
According to Negele, pharmacists would be reimbursed after prescribing birth control to Medicaid recipients, ensuring low-income Hoosiers are not left behind. Women who receive prescriptions from a pharmacist will be required to consult with a physician within 12 months to ensure medical issues do not arise. In addition, pharmacists can object to prescribing contraceptives based on ethical, moral or religious grounds.
“This puts us in line with nearly half of the states in the country that allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives,” Negele said. “This is a big win for Indiana and especially Hoosier women.”
Negele also sponsored a new law to expand Medicaid recipients’ access to long-acting reversible contraception like IUDs and implants.
Senate Enrolled Act 252 allows hospitals to reassign long-acting reversible contraception, which has a limited shelf life, to different a Medicaid patient if the original patient did not return for implantation after 12 weeks. According to Negele, this change will not only help more women, but reduce government waste by reallocating these devices instead of letting them expire on hospital and pharmacy shelves.
“Around the state there are unclaimed long-acting reversal contraception devices and drugs on shelves, which can expire and go unused. This new law can help change that,” Negele said.
Since the 2022 special session, Negele has worked on legislation making it easier for Hoosier women to gain access to birth control pills and patches.
To follow other legislation signed into law by the governor, visit in.gov/gov/newsroom/2023-bill-watch/.
