Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday afternoon is planning a signing ceremony for House Bill 3343, which requires Oregon's insurers, for the first time, to cover 12-month supplies of birth control. Buehler's bill, if approved, would make the Oregon the second state to give its assent pharmacy prescriptions, after California. The researchers speculate that a larger supply of oral contraceptive pills may allow more consistent use, since women need to make fewer visits to a clinic or pharmacy for their next supply. "We were pleased to hear from several male legislators who testified that they deferred to their wives in seeking guidance on their vote," Alicia Temple, policy director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, said in a statement. A 2011 study from the University of California-San Francisco found a 30 percent drop in unplanned pregnancies for women who have 12-month supplies of contraceptives instead of the typical 30- to 90-day refills many insurers currently cover. The legislation was a top priority for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, which said in a statement that "the law will make Oregon the first state in the nation to require health insurance companies to give a year's supply of the pill, the patch or the ring at the same time."  Rates of unintended pregnancies and abortions decrease significantly when women receive a one-year supply of oral contraceptives, instead of being prescribed one- or three-month supplies, a UCSF study shows. But because California has yet to put the policy into effect, Oregon could become the first to actually offer them. UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.
– Oregon women can stock up on the birth control patch, pill, or ring after Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 3343 into law yesterday. The legislation, which goes into effect next year, requires insurers to offer 12-month supplies of the contraceptives, instead of the usual 30- or 90-day prescriptions. The bill easily passed the state’s Senate and House of Representatives, and Gov. Brown called it a no-brainer. "[It] has a simple premise that I wholeheartedly believe in," she said, according to the AP. "Increase access and decrease barriers." Oregon is the first state in the country to allow a year's worth of birth control to be obtained at the same time. In a 2011 study, researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that when women had a year’s worth of birth control on hand, unplanned pregnancies dropped by 30%. "Women need to have contraceptives on hand so that their use is as automatic as using safety devices in cars," said the lead author. A bill that would allow Oregon pharmacists to write prescriptions for birth control pills is pending in the state Senate after being passed by the House 50-10 last week, according to the Oregonian. California recently passed similar legislation, but it has not yet taken effect.