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Michigan Contraceptive Access, Research and Evaluation Study

Close-up of woman holding a contraceptive pills. Concept of contraception methods.
Assessing the economics of contraceptive choice and its long-term impact on women’s lives
  • Client
    University of Michigan
  • Dates
    August 2018 - Present

Problem

How does the cost of contraception impact women’s futures?

There is no definite source of information about how personal finance and the cost of contraception impact a women’s decision about their concentrative options and how those decisions impact future life outcomes for women and their families. The long-term consequences of reducing or eliminating funding for contraception and family planning services have also not been well studied. This study aims to better understand how women’s access to contraceptive and family planning services changes based on the funding available to them. It also seeks to quantify the differences in various life outcomes for women who do and do not receive subsidies for contraceptives through a randomized intervention.

Solution

Study how removing cost barriers impact women’s conceptive choices

M-CARES aims to study women’s decisions regarding affordable contraception and family planning access. The study will recruit 5,500 patients, ages 18 to 35, who can become pregnant, want to avoid pregnancy, and have out-of-pocket costs for contraceptives.

From these 5,500 study participants, M-CARES seeks to understand the many different aspects and changes of these women’s lives, both before and after the intervention, including:

  • Contraception, pregnancies, and childbearing
  • Health and use of health care
  • Schooling and training
  • Work hours, jobs, earnings, and financial success
  • Romantic and sexual relationships
  • Parenting and children
  • Hopes and dreams for the future
  • Overall well-being

M-CARES is conducting this study within selected Michigan Planned Parenthood clinics where NORC staff introduce and screen patients for participation, collect consent, administer the randomized intervention, and administer a pre- and post-intervention survey before and after their visit with a clinician.

To further understand life course decisions and implications, we will ask M-CARES study participants to complete three follow-up surveys over five years. We will combine that survey data with large-scale administrative data to examine intervention outcomes related to contraceptive use, pregnancies, partnership decisions, and physical and mental health.

Result

The survey is the first step in an effort to track participants over the next several years. 

To further understand life course decisions and implications, the M-CARES study participants will be asked to complete three follow-up surveys over the next several years. The information collected will be combined with large-scale administrative data. The resulting data will provide information on intervention outcomes related to contraceptive use, pregnancies, partnership decisions, and physical and mental health.

Learn More About the Study

For more information about the Michigan Contraceptive Access, Research and Evaluation Study (M-CARES), including resources for study participants:

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Departments, Centers & Programs

Research Divisions

Project Leads

Partners

Martha J. Bailey
PhD, Professor of Economics, UCLA, Principal Investigator

Vanessa W. Lang
PhD, Research Investigator, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research

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