Sponsors (4)
The bill expands OTC access to routine oral contraceptives for adults and increases federal spending transparency to guide family‑planning programs, while still limiting minors' access, excluding emergency/abortion‑related drugs from OTC eligibility, and creating reporting costs and potential political controversy.
Adult women (18+) can obtain routine oral contraceptives over the counter without a prescription, increasing convenience and timely access to contraception.
Manufacturers of qualifying supplemental applications avoid certain FDA user fees, lowering costs and administrative burden and potentially speeding consumer access to OTC products.
A GAO report summarizing 15 years of federal spending on contraception will give policymakers and taxpayers better transparency, helping target funding and program improvements for family‑planning services that serve low‑income and Medicaid populations.
Emergency contraceptives and drugs approved for induced abortion are excluded from OTC eligibility, limiting the range of contraceptive options available without a prescription and risking public confusion about what is available OTC.
Minors under 18 remain subject to prescription requirements for routine oral contraceptives, leaving teens with continuing barriers to timely access to contraception.
Making federal contraception spending visible could be politically contentious and prompt state or federal policy debates that change access in some jurisdictions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Directs priority FDA review and a user-fee waiver for supplements to make routine oral contraceptives OTC for people 18+, and orders a GAO report on 15 years of federal contraception-related spending.
Official title: To allow women greater access to safe and effective oral contraceptive drugs intended for routine use, and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on Federal funding of contraceptive methods.
Introduced March 25, 2026 by Ashley Hinson · Last progress March 25, 2026
Requires the HHS Secretary to give priority FDA review to supplemental applications that would make an oral contraceptive available over-the-counter for routine use for people 18 and older (excluding emergency contraceptives and drugs approved for abortion), and waives the related FDA user fee for those supplements. Also directs the GAO to produce a one-year report quantifying federal spending on contraception reimbursement, stocking, provider training, and patient education over the prior 15 years. Drugs would remain prescription-only for individuals under 18.