prevention first

Governor Doyle Signed State Budget & Prevention First into Law!
On June 29, 2009 Governor Doyle signed the state budget and the 3 prevention first initiatives into law: Contraceptive Equity, Prescription Protection, and expansion of the Family Planning Waiver!

Contraceptive Equity

• Contraceptive Equity requires health insurance policies that contain a prescription drug benefit to cover prescription contraceptives.
• Contraceptive Equity ensures fair insurance coverage must include health care women need everyday. As a matter of basic fairness, prescription drug plans should cover prescription birth control methods. 
• Birth control is basic health care, used by over 90% of women at some point in their lives. Excluding birth control coverage under prescription drug plans discriminates against women.

Prescription Protection

• Prescription Protection requires pharmacies to dispense safe, legal birth control prescriptions without harassment or delay.
• In Wisconsin, many women live in rural parts of the state where the next pharmacy may be miles away. It is unconscionable to expect a woman to drive all around the state just to access her doctor prescribed medication.
• Birth control is basic health care. Prescription birth control pills are often used not just to prevent pregnancy but to treat serious medical conditions like endometriosis and infertility.

Family Planning Waiver

• The expansion of the Family Planning Waiver includes providing family planning health care such as sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment for low-income men.
• Publicly-funded family planning services provide critical health care to low-income women, men and teens, including cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and access to birth control. 
• For each $1.00 spent on family planning services, $4.02 is saved by preventing unintended pregnancies and providing preventive health care. Since 2003 when the Family Planning Waiver was implemented, it has saved the state $487 million.