Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is committed to increasing access to high quality, evidence-based family planning services for women and men in the Medicaid Program by providing comprehensive and continuous coverage to ensure that every pregnancy is a planned pregnancy. Consistent with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ recent Committee Opinion titled Access to Contraception, HFS supports everyone’s right to make informed and voluntary decisions about sexuality and reproduction in order to lead a fulfilling and healthy life. Planned pregnancies allow women to optimize their own health before pregnancy and childbirth; consequently decreasing health complications and lowering newborn risks such as low birth weight and preterm birth. This in turn improves the health for the family, expands opportunities and benefits the community.
Serving almost 1 million women of childbearing years, HFS supports payment reform and operational policies reflecting the importance of providing education and counseling on all FDA approved contraception from most effective method to less effective methods See the Centers for Disease Control - Contraception - Reproductive Health web page and Effectiveness of Family Planning Methods (pdf).
After a decade of providing expanded family planning through the Illinois Healthy Women Program, the program will end December 31, 2014. Fortunately, for Illinois, we have the opportunity to provide full scope medical coverage through health care reform, which includes comprehensive family planning for both men and women. To learn more about your options, please go to GetCoveredIllinois.gov. You will be guided to apply for healthcare coverage through Medicaid or the Marketplace. You can also call 1-866-311-1119 to speak to a representative.
Information for Customers and Providers
