Policy changes can feel like quicksand, constantly shifting beneath your feet while you’re just trying to get through your clinic day. To save you time (and spare your sanity), we’ve built the Bedsider Providers+ Policy Tracker.
The Policy Tracker is your quick guide to the latest updates in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) policy at the state level, with key points specifically for providers.
What the tracker covers
The tracker focuses on some of the state-level policies that have the most meaningful impact on comprehensive SRH care provision:
Birth control coverage and access
- Are private insurance plans and Medicaid required to cover an extended supply of contraception?
- Are private plans required to cover the full range of contraceptive methods without co-pays or deductibles?
- Do private insurance plans and Medicaid cover over-the-counter birth control methods without a prescription?
- Can pharmacists prescribe contraception?
Abortion care
- Is abortion permitted?
- Is a waiting period required before abortion?
- Is parental consent or notification required to access abortion services?
- Is telehealth permitted for medication abortion?
- Is Medicaid permitted to fund abortion services?
Shield laws (for states that are increasing protections for providers)
- Does the state have shield laws protecting the provision of SRH care?
- Does the state protect the privacy of medical information and data related to protected SRH care?
- Are there explicit protections for providing SRH care regardless of patient location?
- Are providers protected from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions?
- Are providers protected from professional discipline?
- Are there protections from civil liability?
- Do providers have protection related to liability insurance and health plans?
Why it matters
State level policies have increasingly become part of the clinical landscape—impacting everything from how patients can access birth control to whether you’re protected if you offer telehealth medication abortion care.
You shouldn’t need to be a policy analyst to feel confident about the care you provide. With the Bedsider Providers+ SRH Policy Tracker, you know the policy status in your state—fast, clear, and clinically relevant.