Opinion: Tillis' plan won't help women pay for birth control

N orth Carolina voters should not be fooled by North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis’ (R) political ploy to support over-the-counter birth control medication.

While this position appears to favor women’s rights by simplifying access, such an action would shift the cost of birth control from insurance companies to women. Because Tillis’ platform rejects the Affordable Care Act’s stipulation that insurance cover the cost of birth control, the move to designate birth control as an over-the-counter drug could increase out-of-pocket costs.

Should contraceptives become over-the-counter, costs could increase by $600 per year, according to Planned Parenthood, for women who currently have the cost of contraceptives as well as annual “well-woman” office visits covered under the Affordable Care Act. Planned Parenthood is a medical organization that advocates for women’s health issues and abortion rights.

The predicted increase would make these medications too costly for many women. This comes at a time when almost a quarter of women have more trouble paying for contraceptives than in the past, according to a recent survey.

That Tillis’ change in position has come so late in the election season would be an unlikely coincidence. His legislative record is full of instances of opposition to reproductive rights. In 2011, as speaker of the house, Tillis oversaw the passage of a budget provision that attempted to cut state funding to Planned Parenthood. This provision was later blocked by a federal judge.

Tillis also presided over State Bill 353, which placed restrictions on health clinics that perform abortions. In addition, it barred women from using government-administered insurance to pay for abortions, forcing them to pay out of pocket. S.B. 353 was originally designed to deal with motorcycle safety, but abortion-related amendments were added without public notice.

Planned Parenthood has called attention to the similarity in shift of position of Tillis and state Rep. Cory Gardner of Colorado (R), both of whom use the same consulting firm, OnMessage, to advise their campaigns, according to Politico.

With the election less than two months away and recent polls showing Tillis trailing his opponent by several points, Tillis appears to be making a last-ditch effort to garner votes among a voting bloc that would otherwise favor Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan. While Tillis may be talking an excellent political game, the authenticity of his commitment to women’s health should remain in question.

Efforts to reframe the cost of reproductive rights as a private instead of public health issue have made inroads recently. For religious reasons, private companies are no longer required to provide a full array of contraceptives to be a part of their health care plan, according to the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Tillis voiced support for the court ruling. “Although today was a loss for Kay Hagan, Barack Obama and the Washington bureaucrats who want to run our lives, the American people are the clear winners,” he said, according to The (Raleigh) News & Observer.

As more companies are given the ability to opt out of federal mandates to control the accessibility of contraceptives, the issue of payment becomes increasingly privatized.

In this context, sudden support for over-the-counter birth control makes economic sense for Tillis’ agenda — with the added benefit of fooling women into thinking he has their best interests at heart.

Making birth control over-the-counter takes down one barrier between women and contraception but erects in its place a more formidable one of excessive cost.

It remains the responsibility of legislators — and those who elect them — to continue the fight to make reproductive health services and medications affordable and widely available to all women.