Does Increasing Financial Access to Contraception in the U.S. Reduce Unintended Pregnancies? Evidence from the M-CARES Random

Martha Bailey, Emilia Brito, Deniz Gorgulu, Kelsey Figone, Vanessa Wanner Lang, Alexa Prettyman and Vanessa K. Dalton

No 21664, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We use a randomized controlled trial to examine how out-of-pocket costs affect contraceptive method choice, pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth among uninsured U.S. women. The study recruited women seeking care through Title X—a national family planning program subsidizing reproductive health services for low-income Americans—and randomized vouchers, making the full spectrum of contraception highly discounted or free. We find that subsidizing contraception has large and persistent effects on the choice of con- traceptive method, resulting in significantly fewer pregnancies and abortions at 26 months. The effects on births are inconclusive.

Keywords: Fertility rates; Contraception; Randomized controlled trial (rct) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 J13 J18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06
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