Medicaid is the primary source of family planning coverage in the United States, accounting for 75 percent of total public expenditures for family planning services; Title X and state and local governments also play an important role, including by financing family planning services for individuals who otherwise lack coverage. This toolkit reviews the policy options available to state Medicaid agencies seeking to ensure that Medicaid enrollees have access to the full range of family planning services and supplies. Before turning to these policy options, this introduction sets out baseline information about the efficacy of family planning and the importance of assuring that enrollees have free choice about whether to use contraception and the method(s) they use.

Importance of Family Planning -

According to Healthy People 2020, family planning is one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, allowing individuals to achieve desired birth spacing and family size, and contributing to improved health outcomes for infants, children, women, and families. Healthy birth spacing, for example, helps reduce the number of babies born prematurely, at low birth weight, or small for their gestational age. In addition to maternal and infant health benefits, family planning has social and economic benefits. For example, research shows that contraception allows women to complete their educations and pursue careers, resulting in contributions to the economy and reducing public expenditures related to unintended pregnancies.