Currently, the National Health Fund (CNS) only reimburses 80% of contraceptive prescriptions for females aged 30 and under.
The government and the CNS have agreed to scrap the above limits in favour of providing free universal contraception, including the contraceptive pill, the implant, IUDs and the morning-after pill, among others.
The proposal was originally announced in January 2020, but faced delays as health policymakers switched focus to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert, commented that “free access to contraceptives for all will allow everyone to freely choose the method of contraception that suits them best, in consultation with their GP.”
Under the new bill, the following methods of contraception will be reimbursed by the CNS:
• contraceptive pill;
• contraceptive patch;
• contraceptive ring;
• mini-pill;
• contraceptive injection;
• morning-after pill;
• contraceptive implant;
• the intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUD);
• tubal ligation for permanent contraception (sterilisation);
• vasectomy.
In addition, a GP prescription will no longer be needed to obtain the morning-after pill at a public pharmacy.
Claude Haagen, Minister of Social Security, applauded the bill, saying “this will introduce free universal access to contraception for all, without age or method limits.”
