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# Legislation to Expand Affordable OTC Birth Control
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/legislation-to-expand-affordable-otc-birth-control/
- Published: 2022-06-08T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T17:47:53.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5152008

Members of the Senate have introduced the Affordability is Access Act “to ensure that people across the country can access and afford over-the-counter birth control options and plan their own reproductive lives on their own terms.” Senate HELP Committee chair **Patty Murray** (D-WA) [says](https://www.help.senate.gov/chair/newsroom/press/murray-pressley-ocasio-cortez-bera-hirono-cortez-masto-unveil-bill-to-expand-affordable-over-the-counter-birth-control-?ref=fdaweb.com) the act would ensure that once FDA determines an over-the-counter (OTC) birth control option to be safe, it approves the product without delay, and would ensure that insurers then fully cover the OTC birth control without any out-of-pocket costs. 

Murray’s statement says the legislation would: 

- ensure coverage of comprehensive preventive health services and expand coverage to include full access to oral contraceptives for routine, daily over-the-counter use for all;
- maintain FDA’s sole authority to determine the safety and efficacy of drugs and make them available over-the-counter without a prescription; and
- ensure retailers provide oral contraception without a prescription.