Association of telehealth reimbursement parity with contraceptive visits during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to contraceptive care while increasing contraception need because fewer women planned to become pregnant. Increases in use of telehealth for contraception (telecontraception) during the pandemic present an opportunity to expand access to contraception via telehealth. Reimbursement parity mandates implemented by some states in response to COVID-19 required insurers to reimburse for telehealth at the same rate as for in-person services, potentially increasing access to telecontraception. These mandates may remove financial disincentives for offering remote services, but the implication of reimbursement parity for access to care during the pandemic has not been studied. We evaluated the association of state telehealth reimbursement parity mandates with remote and overall contraceptive encounters.