Feds Urge State Medicaid to Use More LARCs

The federal government, which spends billions of dollars each year covering unintended pregnancies, is encouraging states to adopt policies intended to boost the number of Medicaid enrollees who use long-acting, reversible contraceptives.

LARCs, as they are known, “possess a number of advantages,” Vikki Wachino, deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote to state programs in a recent bulletin. “They are cost-effective, have high efficacy and continuation rates, require minimal maintenance, and are rated highest in patient satisfaction.”