Michigan Contraceptive Access, Research, and Evaluation Study: Phase 1

Michigan Contraceptive Access, Research, and Evaluation Study

M-CARES will use large-scale administrative data complemented by follow-up surveys and a randomized control trial (RCT) to estimate the causal impact of greater financial access to contraception on a comprehensive set of outcomes. Outcomes include contraceptive use, pregnancy, childbearing, and parenting strategies; partnership decisions and relationship quality; health and health care use; education, labor market success, and public assistance receipt; financial security; neighborhood quality; mental health and stress; and life plans. The resulting estimates will inform a more complete understanding of the costs and benefits of financial access to contraception and, therefore, the investment value of related policies and programs.

Inclusion Criteria:

M-CARES will recruit 5,000 women at Michigan Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) clinics who face potentially large out-of-pocket costs for highly effective contraceptives, especially LARC methods. In order to be eligible to participate in the study, the woman needs to meet the following criteria:

1. . 18-35 years old,
2. . physically capable (biologically female and fecund) and at risk of having a pregnancy (has sex with men),
3. . not pregnant at the time of enrollment and not wishing to become pregnant in the next 12 months,
4. . face some out-of-pocket costs for contraceptives at PPMI