Contraceptives to be free in Luxembourg from next year
Luxembourg plans to offer free contraceptives from early next year, the government said on Wednesday, renewing a pledge the coalition parties made in 2018 but delayed implementing due to the pandemic.
“Work has resumed and the file will be finalised in autumn 2022 for entry into force in early 2023,” Health Minister Paulette Lenert and Social Security Minister Claude Haagen said in a joint response to a parliamentary question.
The Luxembourg's national health insurance fund CNS currently reimburses 80% of the cost of contraceptives for women, up to the age of 30.
Plans to remove the reimbursement cap and age limit were announced two years ago, but the legislation stalled.
“Unfortunately, the pandemic has delayed a number of files, so the work on this file has not progressed according to the schedule initially planned,” the ministers added in responding to lawmakers Mars Di Bartolomeo and Cécile Hemmen of the LSAP.
The changes will mean that anyone can choose “the method of contraception that is best suited” after consultation with a doctor, the ministers added. “Discussions are also underway to expand free distribution channels for condoms,” Haagen and Lenert said.
At the time of the government's initial proposal in 2020, it was estimated that the average cost per beneficiary would be around €60, though there was no figure for the total cost, which will be shared by the national health insurance and the state budget.
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