Story No. 436: Dr. Lauren from Washington

One of my patients has had several high-risk pregnancies. After her most recent pregnancy, she wanted an IUD. Because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), she was able to access one without co-pay. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the placement and she needed to have the device removed. She has been so happy with the IUD as a method that she wanted another one despite the fact that she had needed the first one removed. Without the ACA, she could have had two co-pays for insertion as well as a fee for removal, and those costs could have made the IUD unaffordable for her. She doesn’t believe in abortion for herself, so having access to a highly effective method is critical for her to avoid an unwanted, high-risk pregnancy. I’m grateful for the ACA because it helps my patients get the birth control methods they want.