Table 1.
Characteristics of women included in the study
| Patient and plan characteristics | All Plans | Plans with low levels of cost-sharing for IUDs* | Plans with moderate levels of cost-sharing for IUDs* | Plans with high levels of cost-sharing for IUDs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of plans | N = 4,176 | N = 1,045 | N = 2,087 | N = 1,044 |
| Number of patients | 1,682,425 | N = 166,966 | N = 1,201,864 | N = 313,595 |
| Patient characteristics | ||||
| Mean age (SD) | 27.6 (8.1) | 27.3 (8.1) | 27.7 (8.1) | 27.5 (8.2) |
| Region (%) | ||||
| Northeast | 16.6 | 23.3 | 17.6 | 9.2 |
| Midwest | 24.4 | 26.1 | 23.9 | 25.6 |
| South | 39.5 | 21.2 | 43.3 | 35.0 |
| West | 17.4 | 28.3 | 12.8 | 29.0 |
| Unknown | 2.1 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
| Relationship of patient to employer (%) | ||||
| Employee | 47.0 | 44.0 | 48.0 | 44.7 |
| Spouse | 18.4 | 17.5 | 18.4 | 19.1 |
| Dependent | 34.6 | 38.5 | 33.7 | 36.2 |
| Visit to ob/gyn during study period (%) | 56.4 | 46.4 | 59.2 | 50.8 |
| First Contraceptive Method Used in Year - N (%) | ||||
| Branded Oral | 429,679 (25.5) | 36,985 (22.2) | 311,581 (25.9) | 80,737 (25.7) |
| Generic Oral | 1,161,328 (69.0) | 119,915 (71.8) | 821,455 (68.4) | 218,558 (69.7) |
| IUD | 93,237 (5.5) | 10,066 (6.0) | 68,828 (5.7) | 14,300 (4.6) |
| Out-of pocket costs for contraceptive methods | ||||
| OOP cost for IUD Mean (SD) Median (IQR) |
$56.18 (83.19) $25.23 (59.88) |
$3.26 (3.86) $2.78 (6.64) |
$30.16 (16.77) $25.06 (26.74) |
$161.56 (109.37) $125.86 (98.00) |
| OOP cost for brand name OCPs Mean (SD) Median (IQR) |
$28.38 (13.48) $26.49 (16.41) |
$27.16 (13.63) $25.52 (16.17) |
$27.82 (12.28) $26.26 (15.04) |
$30.58 (15.16) $28.40 (19.62) |
| OOP cost for generic OCPs Mean (SD) Median (IQR) |
$10.20 (5.05) $9.72 (5.66) |
$9.68 (4.40) $9.49 (4.42) |
$9.85 (4.59) $9.72 (5.26) |
$11.46 (6.26) $10.01 (7.94) |
*
“Low” out of pocket costs correspond to costs in the lowest quartile; “moderate” correspond to costs in the second and third quartiles, and “high” correlate to costs in the highest quartile.
IUD=intrauterine device; OOP = out of pocket; OCP=oral contraceptive pill; SD=standard deviation; IQR=interquartile range