DeGette and Colleagues to HHS: Improve Patient Counseling on Contraceptive Options

Washington, DC – More than 20 members of Congress who are engaged in women’s health care issues today called on the Obama administration to enhance health providers’ training on women’s contraception options.

In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell led by Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), the House members said, “we must make certain that providers have the training and resources they need to provide quality patient counseling and effectively educate patients about the safety and effectiveness of all forms of contraception so that each woman can select the family planning method that best meets her medical needs and personal preference.”

The letter noted that according to the latest available information, nearly 45 percent of pregnancies in the United States were unintentional, a much higher rate than in other developed countries, and the risk of unintended pregnancy among underprivileged women is even higher than the national average.

“Unintended pregnancies can lead to negative outcomes for both women and newborns, including poorer preconception maternal health, delayed prenatal care, increased risk of prematurity, and low birth weight,” the letter said. “More can and should be done to reduce these risks and empower women by increasing awareness of and access to a full range of contraceptive options.”

The members of Congress asked the Department of Health and Human Services to focus provider resources on patient-centered counseling, gaps in education about safety and effectiveness of different forms of contraception, and confusion about billing, reimbursement and provision of contraceptive services.

DeGette, who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, has long been engaged in issues involving women’s health care. In circulating the letter to colleagues, she shared the success of Colorado’s Family Planning Initiative, which has made the full range of contraception available to women at no cost and has received significant national attention for cutting unintended teen pregnancy rates by nearly half. Providers who participated in the initiative were trained on patient-centered counseling, the safety and effectiveness of different forms of contraception, and state Medicaid rules.