When I was a young adult and ready to start on the birth control pill, I found that its cost was not covered by my health insurance. Paying the retail price was onerous. It didn’t seem right that insurance wouldn’t cover contraception, though it did cover the cost of giving birth and possibly even abortion. It just didn’t make any sense.

Now, finally, the federal government is ready to rectify the situation, and make contraception more economically accessible to women and men by requiring health insurance to cover its cost.

According to this news story, the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, is recommending that health insurers be required to pay for contraception so that there is no cost to the consumer as part of “preventive health services.”

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Debra Nussbaum Cohen is a contributor to The Sisterhood, which crossposts regularly with Jewesses with Attitude.

To show your support and encourage HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to accept the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine, sign the National Council of Jewish Women's "Plan A" petition.