Many young women use brith control pills to treat menstrual-related issues, acne, cysts and of course, as a contraceptive. During the time that birth control has been around, it has improved significantly. While it may have started as a simple contraceptive, it now is used for a myriad of other reasons. However, some woman cannot get these pills for one reason or another.

“It is probably religious views because to some it is considered a type of abortion,” explained Chloe Iles, sophomore in interdisciplinary studies.

Whether it be because they cannot afford them because they have no medical insurance or because it is against their religious beliefs, some women do not have access to these drugs. Some families cannot afford the cost of medical insurance, as many rates are priced high and begin around $40.

“Overall, I think birth control is a positive thing because it does keep unwanted pregnancies down, which in turn leads to less unwanted babies. The other health benefits are an added plus. It really depends on your life style, and it’s a freedom all woman should have, in my opinion,” Iles stated.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, the administration released an amendment to the prevention regulation. This amendment allows the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services to religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees. This regulation is modeled on the most common accommodation for churches available in the majority of the 28 states that already require insurance companies to cover contraception.

The co-pay and premium, however, are critical parts that would highly influence the Affordable Care Act revisions. The co-pay — the amount of money you pay once your insurance has paid their part — would be eliminated for these services. However, since this seems too good to be true, it would seem the premium would skyrocket.

An insurance premium is the money that a client has to pay simply for having the insurance. It is based mostly on the individual’s profile and statistics that pertain to them. These include: condition of your health, where you live, income and employment.

These “improvements” may cause some negative effect, though. For example, there might be a lowered cap so that individuals or families will only be allotted a certain amount of spending’s for the year. Simply said, you are only allowed medical attention to a point until coverage runs out, and you are paying out of your pocket.

“A pro is that there would be there would be less unwanted pregnancies. Cons would be that it’s expensive and the birth control companies wouldn’t make any money off of it so they would have no incentive. I think it’s a good idea, but … ultimately it wouldn’t work,” said Michelle Rogge, sophomore in architecture.

The details and changes that have been shown are tentative and are subject to change. Decisions on the changes are also going to be heavily impacted by the candidates that are elected. Some will be in favor, while others will reject and think it should be changed again. With that said, it is inevitable that this new reform will change a lot of things. Over the course of these next months the word “affordable” will be revolutionized.

“I believe free birth control is good in theory but not good in practice,” said Anna Mullins, freshman in English. “By making it free, yes, more girls may go on it, but they probably won’t be any more educated than the girls who are now on it. So, we’ll have more girls on birth control and more likely to not use a condom, when they might not be using their birth control method in the right way so teenage pregnancy may actually increase. See, it’s not so much about making it cheaper or free as it is about teaching girls the most effective way to use it.”