Leveraging Federal Scientific and Administrative Processes to Expand Contraceptive Access

Learn About CECA’s Federal Process Recommendations

CECA led a collaborative process to develop impactful, feasible, and sustainable recommendations for the federal executive branch to achieve universal, equitable access to quality contraception. Scroll down to learn more about our approach and available resources.

Background

Over the course of a lifetime, most people will make decisions related to preventing and/or achieving pregnancy, and most will seek services in order to achieve their reproductive goals.

The federal executive branch, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in particular, plays a crucial role in reducing or mitigating barriers and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health care through the following scientific and administrative processes:

  • Guidelines

    Evidence-based federal clinical and programmatic guidelines to set expected standards of care.

  • Measurement

    Performance measures based on guidelines to drive improvement, inform consumers, and drive payment.

  • Funding and Payment

    Supportive funding and payment strategies to reduce or eliminate financial barriers to contraception, and enable implementation of guidelines and performance measures.

Read our issue briefs and learn more about how these federal processes can expand contraceptive access.

Each brief explains and contextualizes the current landscape, identifying challenges and presenting both solutions and actions that allow for subsequent recommendations to be made to the federal executive branch.

Approach

CECA reviewed evidence and worked with more than 100 technical experts across the U.S. to identify challenges and opportunities in federal scientific and administrative processes, identify and harness scientific evidence, and leverage cross-sector expertise.

Implementation of the resulting recommendations helps to reshape the contraceptive landscape—by reconsidering the frameworks that guide us, the questions we ask, and how we design, measure, interpret, and share results. As illustrated below:

  • Three guiding principles connect contraception to a larger government purpose and mission to foster sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing (SRHW), sexual and reproductive health equity (SRHE), and research and innovation.

  • Four recommendations are specific to contraception but may serve as a model for other components of SRHW, such as services related to pregnancy, maternal and child health, well person care, and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellness (SRHW)

Frame contraception within a broader context, including a wider range of health services and social supports, to help de-silo clinical care, public health programming, and policy to better reflect how people live and envision their health and wellbeing.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity (SRHE)

Ground the work in SRHE in a way that will redress the history of racism and reproductive coercion and how it manifests today and ensure that all people have what they need to achieve full reproductive autonomy.

Research and Innovation

Make strategic research investments, engage patients and communities throughout all phases of the process, foster innovative practices, and ensure public policy is consistent with the most current scientific evidence.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Leadership

Develop a National SRHE Strategy to remove all barriers to full sexual and reproductive autonomy and promote equitable policy and programmatic solutions across a range of sexual and reproductive health topics.

Guidelines

Ensure clinical and programmatic guidelines incorporate scientific evidence and stakeholder input and are implemented across systems to support contraceptive access.

Measurement Strategies

Develop an evidence-based, consistent, and accountable measurement approach to assess, improve, and incentivize access to quality contraception.

Funding and Payment Strategies

Advance funding and payment strategies that support access to quality contraception, regardless of insurance coverage or care setting.

Recommendations and Resources

Explore CECA's resources, intended to broadly inform contraceptive access work.

  • Provides a summary of the rationale for why these recommendations are needed, the process used to develop them, and additional detail on the recommendations themselves.

  • Provides the rationale for why these recommendations are needed, the process used to develop them, the principles guiding our work, and detailed descriptions of the recommendations and action steps.

  • Outlines the development and vetting process—including initial analysis, expert input, content development, content review and refinement, and dissemination—and our engagement of a wide range of stakeholders throughout the process.

  • Provides a list of terms related to sexual and reproductive health equity (SRHE), their definitions, and the context in which they are used and/or relate to other sexual and reproductive health concepts and frameworks.