One of the most divisive elections in U.S. history is over. The day after Donald Trump was elected to be the next president of the United States, the most popular Google search was“How did Trump win?” according to WGNTV.
Of course, this was not the only question. ABC News reported that other top searches included the words “IUD Trump” and “get an IUD now.”
In the last 48 hours, women have been encouraging one another on social media to make gynecological appointments. Why the sudden interest in intrauterine devices? Women began to fear that President-elect Trump would cause changes to the Affordable Care Act, affecting their contraception coverage.
Under Obamacare, insured women have access to 18 FDA-approved types of birth control with no out-of-pocket cost, as reported in USA Today. Ginny Ehrlich, the CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, estimates that 20 million women need access to birth control from publicly funded sources.
Trump is interested in repealing the Affordable Care Act, forcing women to consider how they might be able to stockpile birth control or make an appointment to get an IUD in the next 70 days.
“Get your birth control that can outlast Trump,” tweeted @grimalkin.
The degree to what can change and how much will depend on the coverage. Medicaid will continue to be free for the foreseeable future, and any other changes will likely not roll out until July 2017.
Still, the financial anxiety is palpable. A typical birth control co-pay was around $10 or $15, but could surge to over $50 a month if coming entirely from out-of-pocket expenses, estimates Sandra Hunt, a principal in PwC’s health industries advisory. The Affordable Care Act also provides other services to women that may be in question, such as Pap smears and OB/GYN visits, MarketWatch reported.
IUDs may be the most cost-effective option for the length of this presidency. This T-shaped piece of plastic or copper is placed directly in a woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy.
It can last between three and 12 years. Once it is implanted, there is no additional maintenance, barring complications, and according to Planned Parenthood there is a less than 1-percent failure rate.
The Susan B. Anthony List, a political action group dedicated to making abortion illegal, considers IUDs and emergency contraception as abortion. Dr. Jennifer Gunter, board certified OB/GYN in San Francisco, wrote in Self magazine, “As an ob/gyn this vision of the future frightens me. And it should frighten you, too.”
Other women are choosing other avenues on behalf of their reproductive rights. Anne T. Donahue tweeted, “Maybe if you're feeling helpless, donate to Planned Parenthood who are the opposite of what Trump stands for.”
Reviewed November 11, 2016
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith