Priority: Raising Awareness
New policies are critical to progress, but their impact is dependent on public awareness.
Despite being a leader in contraceptive equity laws, New York health care providers and patients need to know their rights. Policy uptake requires highly targeted campaigns that promote, publicize, and educate.
On Our Agenda: Awareness of extended supply of contraception
Develop and drive an action plan to call attention to a new law that provides patients with an extended supply of birth control.
Public and private insurance providers are now required to cover a one-year supply of birth control dispensed at one time in New York. The law eliminates the burden of returning to a pharmacy or provider throughout the year for refills and is proven to increase continuity of use.
To ensure every New Yorker benefitted from this policy change, NYBCAP led an inquiry of several insurance companies not in compliance with the law. Our work resulted in a public call to compliance by Attorney General James.
Uptake has been incomplete, but our work has increased awareness regarding gaps in implementation across New York State.
Our continued campaign will educate pharmacists and providers, inform patients of their rights, and bring attention to enforcement strategies that improve compliance by insurance providers. To ensure that our work reaches communities that are most affected by the piecemeal compliance to this policy change, we will work with our Associate Board and other community-based organizations on grassroots advocacy.
NYBCAP will also bring together professional associations, advocates, state agencies, and key stakeholders to develop an awareness campaign to promote the new policy using social media, paid and earned media, and peer-to-peer education.