Tag Archives: Brigid Leahy

On September 15, 2014, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will close public comment period on a proposed policy that will increase the state’s Medicaid coverage of long-term birth control.

Despite a deepening state budget crisis, Governor Pat Quinn and his administration hope to not only double the amount Medicaid (i.e., you) pays for vasectomies and intrauterine devices, but pay healthcare providers in advance.

A vasectomy, which sterilizes a male, commonly costs between $350 and $1000. An IUD, which is inserted into a woman’s uterus to remain between five and ten years, costs between $500 and $1500.…